 |  |
 | |
|  |
|  |
|  |
|  |
|  |
|  |
|  |
|  |
|  |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Microprocessor
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top Stories for September 29, 2000 (details below) | |
| PCWorld.com |
Intel Delays Pentium 4 Vendors delay PC launches as Intel checks for chip set problems (again). |
| C/Net | PC makers report Pentium 4 delay |
| Mercury News | Digging for reasons behind Intel's drop |
| Semiconductor Business News | Rise discloses more details about its x86 processor strategy |
| The Register Files | |
| The Register | Intel's McKinley tapes out, Itanium is Itanic |
| Microprocessor
Headline News Collected By Robert R. Collins |
Week of September 24, 2000 |
Older News |
| September 29, 2000 | ||
Intel Delays Pentium 4
|
PC buyers eager to get a Pentium 4 system will have to wait: Intel has quietly delayed the chip's expected release date to deal with last-minute chip set problems.
Intel was widely expected to launch its next-generation processor by the end of October, although the company never announced an official release date. Now it looks as if the Pentium 4--and the new PCs that will use it--are being delayed until late November, according to a source at a major direct-PC vendor. |
|
PC makers report Pentium 4 delayBy Joe Wilcox September 28, 2000 |
Intel has delayed delivery of its long-awaited Pentium 4 processor, according to PC makers.
Two PC makers said today that Intel notified them the processor would not be ready for delivery around Halloween, as expected, while sources at a third manufacturer said Intel indicated it may not arrive by then. The Pentium 4 is not expected until the week of Nov. 20 and possibly later. |
|
Digging for reasons behind Intel's dropBy Scott Herbold September 27, 2000 |
When I covered the Illinois legislature many moons ago, a grizzled legislator attempted to explain the rules of the game to me. ``Always remember,'' he said. ``There are good reasons for doing something, and there are real reasons.''
By that he meant that politicians, like ordinary people, often took refuge in statements that were persuasive rather than bluntly true. A schedule conflict might be a good reason for not meeting with someone. The real reason: a loathing for the other person. |
|
Rise discloses more details about its x86 processor strategyBy Mark LaPedus September 28, 2000 |
At the Embedded Systems Conference here, Rise Technology Co. disclosed more details about its plans to compete in the x86-based microprocessor business. The San Jose-based company rolled out the first member of its iDragon System-on-Chip line, an x86-based processor designed for use in set-top boxes, Internet appliances, and related products. |
|
The Register Files |
||
Intel's McKinley tapes out, Itanium is ItanicBy Mike Magee September 28, 2000 |
Sources close to Intel said that its next generation of IA-64 processor, codenamed McKinley, has already taped out, a term which means that the chip company has advanced its plans for the chip by a clear 12 months.
But the source at Hewlett Packard, who declined to be named, also said that meant corporate America, by far the largest putative consumer of such a microprocessor, has forced the decision on Intel by rejecting its Merced-Itanium as unsuitable, even as a pilot system. |
|
| September 27, 2000 | ||
FTC ends Intel antitrust probeBy George Leopold September 26, 2000 |
Intel Corp. said Tuesday (Sept. 26) that the U.S. government has provided notification that it has closed its three-year-old antitrust probe of the company, the world's largest chip maker.
The Federal Trade Commission had been investigating Intel's business practices since September 1997 in response to complaints by Intergraph Corp., Compaq Computer Corp. and Digital Equipment Corp. An earlier case was settled in March 1999, but the FTC said it would continue investigating Intel's business practices, including its growing strength in the chip set market. |
|
Broadcom seeks to halt Intel chip shipmentsBy Ian Fried September 26, 2000 |
Broadcom has fired another shot in its legal battle with Intel, asking a Santa Clara, Calif., judge to block Intel from shipping some of its latest networking chips.
In a court filing late yesterday, Broadcom alleged that Intel misappropriated Broadcom trade secrets related to Gigabit Ethernet networking. The Irvine, Calif.-based chipmaker seeks to have the court issue an injunction blocking Intel from shipping two chips that it says use Broadcom technology. Broadcom also seeks to prevent any further use of its trade secrets and asks the court to appoint a special master to monitor Intel's compliance. |
|
Transmeta CEO Says Crusoe Leaves x86 StrandedBy Edwina Gibbs September 26, 2000 |
Transmeta believes its technology is at least five years ahead of industry giants Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, its CEO said Tuesday.
The once highly secretive Transmeta Corp. burst into the limelight in January when it unveiled its Crusoe chip, which uses software to perform many functions previously done by hardware, enabling lighter PC notebooks with much longer battery life. |
|
The Day Ahead: Intel call boosts Kumar's cachetBy Larry Dignan September 26, 2000 |
Ashok Kumar: not always on target, but a refreshing change from the usual follow-the-herd analysts..
I've been back from a scenic vacation in Nova Scotia one day and I'm ready to run back to the highlands after hearing about all the handwringing over how analysts missed the boat on Intel's revenue warning. How did so many analysts drop the ball on Intel's third quarter sales problems? |
|
The Register Files |
||
Rambus, Intel, Dramurai reach end gameBy Mike Magee September 26, 2000 |
Many thanks to Rambusite, an independent Web site that follows the comings and goings of the Mountain View intellectual property outfit, for drawing our attention to three different developments in the continuing saga of Rambus versus The Rest.
If you never tire of the Rambus versus the Dramurai saga, in which Intel plays a mysterious and ill-explained role, a reader points us to take a look at this Page of Dockets which shows filings on behalf of Rambus Ink about the patents in question. |
|
Intel slide a little wafer thinBy Mike Magee September 26, 2000 |
There are lots of good and even wonderful things about being in Asia, close to what the CEO of Via calls the Greater China Manufacturing Engine, and one of them is you can watch the rest of the IT world as it wakes up to the news.
Seven hours ahead of Blighty, 12 hours ahead of Wall Street and a staggering 17 hours of California -- what a difference a day made for Intel. |
|
| September 26, 2000 | ||
Fujitsu to release Transmeta notebooks in NovemberBy Michael Kanellos September 25, 2000 |
Fall is shaping up to be Transmeta's season.
As previously reported, Fujitsu will release two notebooks containing Crusoe processors from Transmeta in November, the company will announce today, bringing the total number of companies coming out with Transmeta-based products to seven. Transmeta, which recently filed for an initial public offering, specializes in microprocessors for notebooks and Internet appliances that are compatible with standard PC technology but consume less power than competing chips from Intel or Advanced Micro Devices. |
|
Transmeta scores again
|
Transmeta, the upstart chip maker that is poised to make its debut on Wall Street next month, has netted another major design win for its low-power, high-performance microprocessor.
Fujitsu, one of Japan's leading computer makers, will formally announce Monday that it will use Transmeta's processors, called "Crusoe," in two new ultralight notebooks due out in early November. The company will incorporate the Crusoe into its upcoming "FM Biblo Loox S," which has a built-in DVD player and weighs 3.3 pounds; and its "FM Biblo Loox T," which is designed for mobile communications and weighs 2.2 pounds. |
|
Has Intel's time come?
|
Misery loves company. But after momentarily dragging the entire tech sector down with its bombshell revenue shortfall announcement, things are starting to get cold and lonely for Intel.
As the market mulled the curious news and Intel's (INTC: Research, Estimates) explanation of its shortcomings, various partners of Intel's distanced themselves from the chip giant, leaving the company with a lot more explaining yet to do. |
|
Sony to release first Crusoe-based notebook next monthBy Ken Popovich September 25, 2000 |
Consumers next month will finally see for themselves what all the fuss is about over Transmeta Corp.'s new low-power microprocessors.
Sony Corp. announced today it will bring the first Crusoe-based notebook, a VAIO ultralight, to market in October. The VAIO PictureBook will feature a 600MHz Crusoe chip and retail for $2,299. While several major manufacturers have committed to using the new chip, which attracted heavy media coverage when it was unveiled in January, the processor has yet to become publicly available. |
|
Rise unveils first x86-compatible processor, inks deal with AcerSeptember 25, 2000 |
Rise Technology Co. here today unveiled its first product--an x86-compatible, system-on-a-chip processor family designed for use in set-top boxes, Internet appliances, and related platforms.
At the same time, Rise and Taiwan's Acer Laboratories Inc. (ALI) announced a multimedia platform solution for set-top boxes that combines Rise's x86-compatible chip and ALI's Aladdin V chip set. |
|
AMD targets embedded processors at thin-client, low-power appsBy Jack Robertson September 25, 2000 |
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. today introduced new AMD-K6-2e and K6-IIIe embedded processors for thin clients, point-of-sale terminals and telecom devices. The new MPUs are available in speed grades of 350 to 550 MHz and in special low-power-consumption versions.
The embedded processors, with 0.18-micron design rules, are available in 321-pin grid array packages. And in the future, selected versions will come in a new 349-leaded organic ball grid array. |
|
Intel ships a trio of mobile processorsBy Joe Wilcox September 25, 2000 |
Intel today is releasing new mobile processors, even as it reels from a third-quarter profit warning issued last week.
As previously reported by CNET News.com, the new mobile processors are the 800-MHz and 850-MHz Pentium IIIs and the 700-MHz Celeron. The processors are Intel's fastest yet for notebooks, though the company has even faster plans for the desktop. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company on Oct. 30 will begin offering Pentium 4 processors running at 1.4 GHz and 1.5 GHz. |
|
| September 25, 2000 | ||
Intel warns revenue won't meet expectationsBy Michael Kanellos and Ian Fried September 21, 2000 |
Intel today warned that third-quarter revenue will be below expectations, citing weaker demand in Europe.
The chipmaker said revenue for the third quarter is likely to be only 3 percent to 5 percent higher than second-quarter revenue of $8.3 billion. "It's demand related, and it is focused exclusively in Europe," Intel spokesman Tom Beerman said. "The other geographies are coming in as expected." |
|
Intel Erases $91 Billion in a Day -- a Record LossBy Brian Rooney September 22, 2000 |
Ninety-one billion dollars, gone in a day.
That is how much investors chopped off the market value of Intel Corp. after the computer-chip maker said sales would fall short of estimates in the current quarter. ``The stock got murdered,'' said analyst Dan Niles of Lehman Brothers. |
|
Other tech firms not singing Intel bluesBy Ian Fried September 22, 2000 |
Although Intel's revenue warning has sent shockwaves through the tech industry, many companies chimed in today to say their business is on track.
Among PC makers, Compaq Computer and Hewlett-Packard said today that business is in line with expectations. Dell said yesterday that it remains on track to reach its goal of 30 percent sales growth this year. |
|
Rival AMD wins contracts as Intel strugglesBy Michael Kanellos September 22, 2000 |
Two more computer manufacturers have agreed to incorporate processors from Advanced Micro Devices in their PCs, and the timing couldn't be better for the chipmaker.
Micron Electronics has announced that it will incorporate AMD's Duron processor in computers sold at Best Buy electronics stores. AMD also said Tiny PC, a British manufacturer, will begin to use Athlon and Duron chips in consumer PCs. |
|
Numerous brokers downgrade IntelBy Rachel Konrad September 22, 2000 |
Nearly two dozen analysts penned pessimistic reports this morning on Intel, a day after the world's largest chipmaker warned that third-quarter revenue will not meet the company's earlier projections or Wall Street's lofty expectations.
Intel announced yesterday that revenue for the third quarter is likely to be only 3 percent to 5 percent higher than second-quarter revenue of $8.3 billion. Analysts had been expecting sequential growth of 8 percent to 12 percent, with third-quarter revenue at $9 billion or more. |
|
Intel warning blindsides many analystsBy Dawn Kawamoto September 22, 2000 |
How did Intel's market-shaking warning slip by so many analysts?
Most analysts rated Intel a "strong buy" as the giant chipmaker geared up to report its third-quarter results in October. And a number of those analysts ran to Intel's defense earlier this month, when closely followed U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray analyst Ashok Kumar downgraded the company from "strong buy" to "buy." |
|
The Intel challenge
|
Not so long ago, Intel Corp. was a reliable barometer of the overall health of the personal computer industry. As Intel went, so went the market for PCs.
But in light of the Santa Clara-based company's announcement Thursday that revenues would suffer because of lackluster sales in Europe, Intel's status as an industry bellwether is less clear. Even as Intel was saying that its sales in Europe were soft, leading PC makers Hewlett-Packard Co., Gateway Inc., Compaq Computer Corp. and Dell Computer Corp. said Friday that they see no signs of a PC slowdown. While Intel shares fell 22 percent, Dell shares fell just 5 percent and the stocks of the other three PC makers actually rose as much as 10 percent. |
|
Pentium 4 launch looks like HalloweenBy John G. Spooner September 22, 2000 |
Finally some good news for Intel. Look for the company to ship its next-generation Pentium at the end of October.
Intel Corp. may have a Halloween treat for tech trick-or-treaters -- the launch of the Pentium 4 processor for desktop PCs. The chip maker will launch the next-generation processor for desktops in the last week of October, probably Oct. 30, according to industry sources. Some insiders had expected the chip to ship in mid-October. |
|
Intel to Add New Processors for Laptops as Transmeta Wins MountBy Cesca Antonelli September 24, 2000 |
Intel Corp. said it will introduce three new processors for laptops tomorrow, as the No. 1 computer-chip maker faces increasing competition from rival Transmeta Corp. in the market for low-power chips.
The chips are two versions of the Pentium III and another Celeron that will be used in mobile computers from 10 companies that include Compaq Computer Corp., Gateway Inc. and Dell Computer Corp., Intel spokesman Michael Sullivan said. |
|
Via Fires At Intel, Transmeta On Mobile FrontSeptember 21, 2000 |
Via Technologies on Thursday jumped into the mobile microprocessor market by announcing a chip that the company said will extend battery life in a system by up to 50 percent.
Launched at the Via Technology Forum in Taipei, Taiwan, the Mobile VIA Cyrix III processor is an x86-compatible product linethat is available at speeds of 500 to 600 MHz. |
|
Intel To Reveal Mobile PC RoadmapSeptember 22, 2000 |
Cahners MicroDesign Resources has disclosed that Intel Corp. will unveil its mobile PC processor technology roadmap at the Microprocessor Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 10. Intel’s presentation will be during the morning session on PC processors. Speaking on behalf of Intel will be Bob Jackson, a principal engineer with Intel's Mobile Platforms Group. | |
CEO Sanders finds his successor at AMDBy Therese Poletti September 23, 2000 |
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. has long been known as Jerry Sanders' company.
Sanders, the chip maker's flamboyant founder, has hired a number of potential successors over the years, only to ultimately reject them all. Now, says Sanders, he's finally found the right man: Hector J. de Ruiz. |
|
The Register Files |
||
Transmeta hinders FIC fin clientBy Mike Magee September 20, 2000 |
Taipei Changes that Transmeta is making to the specifications of its Crusoe microprocessors have forced FIC to delay its Aqua 3200, it has emerged.
FIC, a large Taiwanese mobo manufacturer, splashed out on two wooden dummies of the machine at Computex in June, and caught the interest of delegates and the world press. |
|
Intel Foster secrets revealedBy Mike Magee September 22, 2000 |
An Intel presentation that was up on its Web site before the firm realised it was there reveals the firms plans on its server technology well into next year.
As well as confirming that Foster will come in a 603 pin out, the document, which we saw just before Intel pulled it ut of public view, also discusses Jackson software which the firm thinks will make the server microprocessor sing. |
|
Celeron to go straight to 133MHz FSB?By Andrew Thomas September 21, 2000 |
If the spec for ABIT's bios upgrade for the BF6 and BE6 mobos is to be believed, future Celerons will have a FSB of 133MHz and not 100MHz [writes our pinch of salt correspondent].
World+dog has been expecting the next FSB jump for Celeron to be from 66 to 100MHz. Either Intel has a surprise up its sleeve or Abit is way off the mark with this bios upgrade. |
|
TSMC outstrips Intel in wafer startsBy Mike Magee September 22, 2000 |
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is now making more wafer starts than Intel and is up there in the top league of semi firms, it has emerged.
Shang yi Chiang, vice president of research and development at TSMC, also said that the firm, which acts as a foundry for so-called fabless firms, has streamlined its 12 fabs to produce four different types of semiconductor processes to cater for the different needs of the market. |
|
Prophets guide Via's chipset profitsBy Mike Magee September 22, 2000 |
Via's president and CEO, Wen-Chi Chen, used to work at Intel but he doesn't subscribe to Andy Grove's view that only the paranoid survive.
"We're Christians, and we're never paranoid," he told The Register today. "We think we're following good guidance from God." Nor does Chen see any dichotomy between his training as an engineer and a scientist or his religious views, he said, suggesting that as human beings discovered more about science, what were once seen as miraculous things have turned out to be scientific. |
|
Via intros Cyrix notebook chipBy Mike Magee September 21, 2000 |
The CPU division of Via is targeting Intel at the low end of the notebook market with a 76 square millimetre Socket 370 processor which it claims will give longer battery life and offer lower power consumption.
The chip, which is based on the IDT-Centaur core, will be released at similar clock speeds to the Cyrix III processor, and production will start next month, said Via. |
|
AMD updates notebook roadmapBy Mike Magee September 21, 2000 |
Chip firm AMD has updated its mobile roadmap for the 800 delegates attending the Via Technology Forum in Taipei.
A presentation started by showing its wins using the K6 notebook chip, with NEC, Compaq, Sony, Fujitsu, Toshiba and E Machines. But AMD thinks that "significant" notebook market share growth is continuing in the less than $2,000 market, with thermal design the key differentiator in the marketplace. |
|
Pentium 4 pricing revealedBy Andrew Thomas September 22, 2000 |
Intel's Pentium 4, due for launch at the end of October, may initially only be available in 1.3 and 1.4GHz variants, very reliable sources told The Register today.
The evidence comes in the shape of the pricing for the new chip - The 1.3Ghz P4 is priced at $635, while the 1.4GHz variant will set you back $805. There is no mention of a price for a 1.5GHz or higher part. |
|
| Advertisement |