Intel executives outlined the company’s key microprocessor hardware
strategies and near-term technology roadmaps at its annual Intel Developer Forum
in San Jose. The forum drew nearly 5,000 engineers and system designers from all
over the world.
Intel officials at the forum, said the development of the McKinley processor,
the second-generation 64-bit processor that will follow the Itanium, is on as
per schedule. The Itanium, a chip plagued by long delays in reaching the market,
is now in test at customer sites and will be produced in volume later this year.
Intel’s future, however, appears to lie with McKinley which is in position
to quickly replace the Itanium whose life cycle is being eroded by a two-year
availability delay. "McKinley is in very, good shape. The product line is
better positioned today than it has been in years,'' said Paul Otellini, who
runs Intel's computer-chip group.
Otellini said Intel is now shipping initial McKinley engineering samples to
OEM customers. In the first public demonstration of the McKinley chip, Otellini
showed off a computer running three operating systems simultaneously.
"We're very pleased with the progress we've made on both the initial
version of the Itanium processor and McKinley. These products will be central to
Intel's success for many years to come."
Intel also said it had boosted the speed of its Pentium III Xeon server
processor to 900 megahertz from 700MHz, A new Xeon chip, called
"Foster" is planned for the next quarter, and is based on the Pentium
4 architecture.
Chief Executive Officer Craig Barrett told developers that the Internet would
continue to be at the center of Intel’s product development strategy.
"The Internet is the growth engine of the future. While technology
companies may be facing slower demand for certain products today, the worldwide
build-out of the Internet will continue to drive increased productivity, new
forms of communication and entirely new product categories well into the
future."
Barrett outlined four platform and silicon architectures that define Intel's
role in the Internet economy. "Intel's four architectures are designed to
provide the technology foundation upon which the industry can capture growth
opportunities created by the Internet. Intel is focused on providing customers
with the basic architectural building blocks for client devices, networking
equipment and servers that will allow greater innovation, faster time to market
and at lower costs," said Barrett.
The four architectures include: The Pentium-based IA-32 chip architecture and
the Intel Personal Internet Client Architecture (Intel PCA) are the primary
solutions for client-based wired and wireless computing. Intel's Internet
Exchange Architecture (Intel IXA) is designed to provide a ready-made blueprint
for building next-generation-networking equipment that can quickly be brought to
market.
The IA-64 Itanium processor architecture and Xeon processor families are
designed to meet the price and performance requirements of the Internet server
infrastructure.
But despite rumors that Intel may be on the verge of cutting back on capital
investments, Barrett said it would invest heavily in new silicon technologies
and manufacturing capacity that will enable the company to pursue future growth
opportunities.
"Intel will spend nearly $12 billion this year on R&D and new
manufacturing capacity. We're convinced this investment is essential to help
Intel develop the new products and technologies that will result in long-term
growth for our industry. This year we will begin producing 300mm wafers,
introduce copper metalization, ramp 0.13-micron technology. We intend to provide
the silicon that will power the Internet for generations to come," said
Barrett.
Otellini demonstrated several new and upcoming processors designed for mobile
uses, including the first public demonstration of an Intel processor using
0.13-micron process technology. He also announced the availability of a
low-voltage Pentium III processor operating at 700 MHz and drawing about 1-watt
average power.
"We intend to lead the industry across all aspects of the mobile
processor market segment," said Otellini. "From low power to high
performance and all combinations in between, Intel has consistently proven its
technological prowess and leadership in mobile computing."