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Intel launches multi-core server platforms

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CIOL Bureau
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SANTA CLARA, Calif.: Originally planned for early 2006, Intel Corporation's first dual-core, hyper-threaded processors for servers with four or more processors started shipping this week.

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The processors are optimal for multi-threaded applications such as database, supply chain management and financial services software, the company said in a statement.

"With a current install base of over 30 million, Intel Xeon processor-based servers are the proven platform of choice," said Kirk Skaugen, general manager of Intel's Server Platforms Group. "Intel's multi-core-based servers currently deliver record-breaking performance including surpassing the $1 TPM-C barrier for database application price performance on a dual processor server for the first time.3"

The new processors are at the core of a record-setting four-processor server performance result2 recently published on the TPC-C benchmark. TPC-C simulates a complete computing environment where a population of users executes transactions against a database and measures the number of complete business operations that can be performed by the server.

The platform includes DDR2 Memory, PCI Express, advanced reliability features, and hardware-enabled support for Intel Virtualization Technology.4 This new technology is designed to provide hardware support within the processor for virtualized server applications, helping to make them more reliable, robust and efficient. Intel is working with the industry to turn on this capability via a BIOS switch in early 2006.

Looking ahead, Intel disclosed additional details on future Intel Xeon processor MP-based platforms. In the second half of 2006, Intel plans to deliver "Tulsa," a 65nm dual-core Intel Xeon processor MP with a larger 16 MB shared L3 cache for

servers with four or more processors. Tulsa will fit into the same systems as the dual-core Intel Xeon processor 7000 sequence introduced today and begin shipping to customers for evaluation by the end of 2005.

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