| August 28, 1998 |
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August 27, 1998
CPUMaddness.com
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A few days back I had an interesting
(actually, very dull :) phone conversation with
representatives from Rise technologies (you know, those
guys making the new Socket 7 + mobile mP6 chip) Here is
what I have learned about this new processors. First
of all, the Rise representatives could not answer many
questions (make that just about every). Most of the
information will be unveiled at microprocessor forum in
October. Even though they did not give me much
information, I did learn a few things:
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By Michael Kanellos
August 27, 1998
C/Net
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Advanced Micro Devices released a
350-MHz version of the K6-2 processor today, the
company's fastest microprocessor ever, and is promising
to ship hundreds of thousands of the chips in its effort
to take market share away from Intel. Volume sales of
the K6 and K6-2 are crucial to improving the company's
fortunes, a goal which has not always been easy. AMD has
stated that a return to profitability hinges on boosting
sales of K6 chips. Despite lingering production
shortfalls, the company has landed a number of design
wins with major computer vendors this year.
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By Gabrielle Jonas
August 27, 1998
TechInvestor
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Advanced Micro Devices was the victim of
unlucky timing Thursday, releasing its new chips into a
hostile stock market. As investors -- frightened by
Russia's spiraling downturn -- fled technology stocks in
droves, AMD trotted out its new 350-MHz K6-2 processors
to an unappreciative audience.
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By David Lammers
August 28, 1998
EE Times
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The Intel Developers Forum, planned for
Sept. 15-17, is expected to focus on Intel's approaches
to content protection for digital video. Jim Pappas,
director of technology initiatives, said Intel will
disclose its latest work on the Digital Transmission of
Content Protection (DTCP) initiative, launched last year
with Hitachi Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.
Ltd., Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp. The DTCP
specification must be adopted by the industry in order to
protect digital content, such as movies. And indirectly,
the 1394 serial interface can be widely adopted only
after Hollywood and other content providers are reassured
that DTCP will work.
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| August 27, 1998 |
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By Dawn Kawamoto
August 26, 1998
C/Net
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Microsoft and Intel have been partners
for years, to such a degree that their product alliance
came to be morphed into the bastardized shorthand Wintel.
In the last couple of years, however, destiny began to
diverge for the two companies. As Intel's business became
increasingly squeezed by low-cost chipmakers and the
sub-$1,000 PC phenomenon, Windows has been pulling
further away from its software competition while managing
to elude the type of pricing pressures that have besieged
Microsoft's chipmaking ally.
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See Related
Stories Intel:
Stepchild of Wintel?
Microsoft
may have deterred Intel from new Net technology
DOJ
probes Microsoft-Intel ties
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By Michael Kanellos
August 26, 1998
C/Net
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If there is any sibling resentment
within the Wintel family, there may be good reason for
it. Unlike software ally Microsoft, Intel is engaged in
far more trench warfare in a rapidly changing
battlefield. The processor giant still commands more than
85 percent of the market for chips used in today's
desktop computers, but faces increasing challenges in
emerging mainstream markets.
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See Related
Stories Wintel
equation favors Microsoft
Microsoft
may have deterred Intel from new Net technology
DOJ
probes Microsoft-Intel ties
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August 26, 1998
Kikumaru's Technical Lab
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Intel recently announced the Celeron
processor which uses PentuimII core but does not use any
level 2 cache. This makes it a very low cost CPU able to
run a low cost system. This Celeron CPU is really
excellent regarding overclocking tolerance. It has been
confirmed by multiple sources that a 266MHz Celeron can
run at 448MHz stability.
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August 27, 1998
Semiconductor Business News
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Advanced Micro Devices Inc. here today
announced that it has begun volume shipments of
350-megahertz AMD-K6-2 processors with 3DNow! technology.
3DNow! is an innovation to the x86 processor
architecture that enhances 3-D graphics, multimedia, and
other floating-point-intensive PC applications to enable
the emerging "realistic computing platform."
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By Margaret Quan
August 26, 1998
EE Times
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The performance boundaries between
microprocessors aimed at the low and high ends of the PC
market continue to blur, with Intel Corp. introducing
faster models of its Celeron and Pentium II processors
and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. rolling out a souped-up
version of the K6-2. But analysts said the companies'
strategies for the chips signal that marketing
considerations may count more than raw performance in
determining how new processors are positioned and priced. |
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By Lisa DiCarlo
August 27, 1998
PC Week Online
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In its fight to keep a price/performance
advantage over Intel Corp. processors, Advanced Micro
Devices Inc. today announced a 350MHz K6-2 processor. At
the entry level, AMD officials said, the K6-2 "blows
away" Intel's new Celeron because of its integrated
three-dimensional instructions, called 3Dnow, which
improve graphics performance, and the use of a 100MHz
bus. The Celeron uses a 66MHz bus.
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August 26, 1998
Semiconductor Business News
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Intel Corp. today announced qualified
support for the Mini PCI specification, a proposed
communications standard that potentially offers smaller
size, greater design flexibility and reduced cost for
mobile platforms. Intel also stated it will deliver
Mini PCI solutions if a number of issues and mechanical
challenges can be resolved by the PCI Special Interest
Group, the body that will determine if the Mini PCI
specification will become part of the open PCI standard.
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By Michael Kanellos
August 26, 1998
C/Net
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National Semiconductor has begun to ship
samples of microprocessors based on the manufacturing
standard currently employed for other cutting-edge PC
processors, a technological step forward that will allow
the company to catch up to competitors Intel and Advanced
Micro Devices. The shift also represents a way for
National to stay competitive in an increasingly difficult
pricing environment. In the future, National will be
manufacturing more of its Cyrix-brand processors, rather
than having third parties make them, which will reduce
costs.
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Overclocker's Workbench
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Welcome to Overclockers' WorkBench. Over
here you will find hardware, software reviews and
benchmark results. There is also a forum which you can
post your Q&A about CPUs, motherboards esp. on
overclocking issues. Current Celeron 300a/333 results
are based on pre-production copies. The actual production
release might not be so overclockable.
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| August 26, 1998 |
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By New York Times Staff Writer
August 26, 1998
San Jose Mercury News
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Opening a new front in its probe of
Microsoft Corp., the federal
government is investigating whether the software giant
forced Intel
Corp. to shelve new technology efforts that conflicted
with
Microsoft's ambitions.
The suggestion, if true, would be a stunning indication
of Microsoft's
market might. With its dominance over microprocessors --
the brains
of the personal computer -- Santa Clara-based Intel is
Microsoft's
only real peer in the PC industry. |
See
Today's Related Stories |
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August 26, 1998
The Register
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Taiwanese chip company Silicon
Integrated Systems (SIS) claimed it is the first company
to produce a Pentium II chipset with integrated 3D
graphics. Two weeks ago, SIS announced the SIS530 for
socket seven. The SIS 620 chipset is PC99 and PCI 2.2
compliant, supports 66/75/83/100MHz synchronous and
asynchronous host/SDRAM bus frequencies, and has a PC 100
DRAM controller supporting three DIMMs and up to 1.5Gb
main memory.
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By Andy Santoni
August 25, 1998
InfoWorld Electric
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National Semiconductor is shipping
sample quantities of its Cyrix M II and MediaGX
processors from its own South Portland, Maine,
manufacturing facility and expects to begin shipping
production volumes from the fabrication plant next month.
The company said the facility should fill 75 percent
of its needs in the last quarter of this year.
"This is a significant step for National toward
controlling our own destiny," said Brian Halla,
president and chief executive officer of National
Semiconductor, in a statement. "Now, we can focus
all of our efforts on ramping capacity and bringing up
new Cyrix-designed processors in our own fab
[facility]."
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See
Today's Related Stories |
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August 25, 1998
Semiconductor Business News
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National Semiconductor Corp. today said
it expects to begin volume shipments of Cyrix M II and
MediaGX microprocessors from its wafer fab here in
September after starting up production on a 0.25-micron
process technology. Earlier this month, National
managers said the South Portland fab was expected to make
the majority of the company's Cyrix processors at the end
of the year (see Aug. 14 story). Today, National said it
expects the 8-inch wafer fab to provide 75% of its
manufacturing volume in the fourth quarter.
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By Sandy Chen
August 25, 1998
Semiconductor Business News
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Battered by a slowdown in the worldwide
semiconductor industry, Taiwan's United Microelectronics
Corp. (UMC) has revised its 1998 sales and profit
projections downwards by an estimated 39% and 42%,
respectively. UMC, one of the world's largest IC-wafer
foundry companies, expects its sales to reach $527.1
million in 1998, compared with $864.2 million in its
original forecast. Net income will hit $167.1 million in
1998, compared with the original forecast of $287.8
million.
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By Jennifer Hagendorf
August 25, 1998
Computer Reseller News
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The Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI) Special Interest Group on Tuesday granted
preliminary approval for a Mini PCI specification that
will standardize communications peripherals in mobile
PCs, according to 3Com. The specification will
standardize integrated communications peripherals like
modems, Ethernet, and token rings across the
mobile-computing industry.
The Mini PCI Roundtable, a group of ten mobile
computing vendors and peripheral manufacturers, developed
the standard and submitted it for approval earlier
Tuesday.
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| Today's Related Stories |
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By Reuters
August 26, 1998
C/Net
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The U.S. government is investigating
whether Microsoft has used its market muscle to force
Intel to shelve new technology efforts that conflicted
with Microsoft's ambitions, according to reports. Federal
and state investigators appear particularly interested in
an August 1995 meeting between Intel executives including
chairman Andrew Grove and Microsoft executives led by
chairman Bill Gates. At the meeting, Gates made
"vague threats" about supporting Intel
competitors, according to one of many internal Intel
memos that the company was required to hand over to
investigators, The New York Times reported today.
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August 26, 1998
The Register
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A report in the US press said that
Microsoft had attempted to bully chip giant Intel. The
New York Times has reported that Bill Gates' company put
pressure on chip giant Intel in 1995 to prevent it from
developing software at its architecture laboratory. According
to the report, the Justice Department is now
investigating whether Microsoft backed up its pressure by
threatening to support Intel's rivals, including AMD. The
DoJ has now copies of internal memoranda and other
material, the report said.
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By PC Week Online Staff
August 26, 1998
PC Week Online
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The U.S. government is investigating
whether Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) has used its market muscle
to force Intel Corp. (INTC) to shelve new technology
efforts that conflicted with the software giant's
ambitions, the New York Times reported Wednesday. Federal
and state investigators are interested in an August 1995
meeting between Intel executives including Chairman
Andrew Grove and Microsoft executives led by Chairman and
CEO Bill Gates, according to the Times.
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August 26, 1998
The Register
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Clone x.86 chip manufacturer Cyrix has
started to shift the production of its products from IBM
to National Semiconductor fabrication plants. The news
is no surprise. After National Semiconductor bought Cyrix
last year, the company made no secret of the fact that it
would switch production to its own fabs.
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| August 25, 1998 |
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By Alexander Wolfe
August 24, 1998
EE Times
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The second most interesting secret under
lock and key at Intel Corp. (after the architecture of
Merced) is the master list of its "Katmai New
Instructions" (KNI). Intel isn't talking, but my
sources have turned up some interesting information. Katmai
is the advanced 32-bit processor, due next year, that
incorporates 70 special floating-point instructions to
accelerate 3-D processing. Some saw these as
"MMX2," a follow-on to the original 57 Pentium
multimedia instruction-set extensions. But earlier this
year Intel said the 70 instructions would officially be
named KNI.
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By Stephanie Miles
August 24, 1998
C/Net
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As expected, PC makers today announced
their new Celeron systems and the fastest Pentium II
systems yet, in concert with the arrival of Intel's new
and improved low-cost processor and its newest Pentium II
processor. Almost every major PC maker today announced
systems featuring Intel's newest processors, including
Dell, Gateway, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, NEC, Toshiba,
IBM, and Internet PC marketer iDot.com.
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See
Today's Related Stories |
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By Michael Kanellos
August 24, 1998
C/Net
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Along with a slew of desktops, vendors
released new servers and workstations based around the
450-MHz Pentium II processor introduced today from Intel.
Although the higher-end and pricier Xeon processor is
becoming the primary processor for Intel-based servers
and workstations, most vendors are using the faster
versions of the lower-cost Pentium II for entry level
systems in these markets.
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By Michael Kanellos
August 24, 1998
C/Net
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Celeron is charting
its comeback.
While the first versions of Intel's processor for the
low-cost market were met with hoots of derision from
reviewers and tepid sales, two new Celeron processors
released this morning, which were code-named
"Mendocino," will likely have a fairly strong
effect on the sub-$1,000 PC market, according to
observers.
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August 25, 1998
The Register
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Intel confirmed that it delayed
releasing its Pentium II/mobile processor running at
300MHz so that it would not be swamped by the
announcements on its PII/450MHz and Mendocino Celeron
processors. At the same time, more details have
emerged of the price cuts it will make in mid-September
which will dictate the way the Christmas market appears.
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By Terho Uimonen
August 25, 1998
InfoWorld Electric
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Intel is well on its way to rectifying
the recent supply-demand imbalance for its 300-MHz
Pentium II processor, company officials said here
Tuesday. Admitting that Intel had underestimated
demand for the chip, which is a popular choice for both
business and consumer PCs, the supply gap was further
aggravated by the company's ongoing transition to
manufacture all its processors on a 0.25-micron process,
said David Dan, Intel's country manager for Taiwan.
The 300-MHz Pentium II was manufactured using an older
0.35-micron process, he added.
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By Reuters
August 24, 1998
C/Net
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Intel said today that it still expects
to post a stronger second half of the year and that, so
far, all the current signs go along with that view. "We
see the second half at a higher volume than the first
half," said Sean Maloney, corporate vice president
for Intel's sales and marketing group, reiterating the
company's current outlook. "And so far everything we
have seen goes along with that view."
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By Larry Dignan
August 25, 1998
Inter@ctive Investor
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Intel Corp.'s (Nasdaq: INTC) optimistic
second half outlook is unlikely to squelch the bickering
among Wall Street analysts over average selling prices
and the effect on the chipmaker's bottom line. What has
analysts in a huff is Intel's most aggressive attack on
the sub-$1,000 PC market and competitors Advanced Micro
Devices (NYSE: AMD) and National Semiconductor Corp.'s
Cyrix unit (NYSE: NSM). On Monday, Intel officially
unveiled its 333 MHz and 300A MHz cost $192 and $149,
respectively.
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| Today's Related Stories |
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By Margaret Quan
August 24, 1998
EE Times
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Intel Monday will roll out a
long-awaited update of its Celeron processor equipped
with Level 2 cache for the sub-$1,000 PC market. The
Celeron 300A and Celeron 333, based on the so-called
Mendocino design, perform at 300 MHz and 333 MHz,
respectively. Priced at $139 and $179, they won't fatten
Intel's profit margins, but they will give the company
more competitive offerings for this low-end market. |
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By Will Wade
August 24, 1998
Semiconductor Business News
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Intel Corp. added the final elements of
the year to its line of microprocessors this morning,
with two new Celeron chips for low-cost PCs and a faster
Pentium II device aimed at high-powered desktops and
entry-level servers and workstations. The new Celeron
chips will heat up the already-competitive market for
inexpensive computers, while the company said the 450-MHz
Pentium II is its fastest chip released to date for the
desktop market.
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By Mark Hachman
August 24, 1998
Electronic Buyer's News
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Although the announcement was old news
to OEM purchasers, Intel Corp. unveiled its
"Mendocino" Celeron processor and a 450 MHz
Pentium II as part of a general product update. Intel
executives also said that they continue to expect third
quarter revenues to be "flat to slightly up"
over the second quarter, said Sean Maloney, corporate
vice-president and director of Intel's Sales and
Marketing Group, Santa Clara, Calif.
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By Robert Lemos
August 24, 1998
Inter@ctive Investor
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Recovering from a misstep in the
sub-$1,000 PC market, chip giant Intel Corp. unveiled two
new processors in its Celeron line on Monday that are
expected to give its competitors a run for their
customers' money. "Lower-priced PCs have attracted
a lot of attention," said Sean Maloney, vice
president and director of worldwide sales for Intel,
during the one hour presentation. "These newest
Celeron processors fit right into that market."
Intel also briefed press and industry analysts on its
450MHz Pentium II. The new chip replaces the 400MHz
Pentium II as the fastest mainstream Intel processor, and
won't lose its crown until Intel's 500MHz processor with
"Katmai" multimedia instructions comes out
early next year.
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| August 24, 1998 |
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By Keith Diefendorff
August 24, 1998
Microprocessor Report
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Next year Intel will start down the path
of integrating graphics. Its first step will be to
integrate its i740 graphics chip into its Whitney north
bridge, for the Celeron line. As a strategy to bolster
its processor business, integrating graphics into the
north bridge, and ultimately the processor, is a good
idea. But Whitney itself may not be strong enough to
accomplish the task; in fact, it could be a tactical
blunder serious enough to derail an otherwise sound
strategy. It is possible that Intel is integrating
graphics just to get a piece of the graphics-chip market.
But this would be a waste of energy; even if it captured
100% of the market, the incremental revenue would be
chump change to a $25 billion company. Intel cannot
afford to swing at bad pitches; it must keep its eye on
the microprocessor ball. For this reason, Intel is, or
should be, interested in graphics only for what graphics
can do for its microprocessor business.
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By Stephanie Miles
August 24, 1998
C/Net
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PC makers are expected to announce their
new Celeron and the fastest Pentium II desktop systems
yet today, timed to arrive with Intel's introduction of
the new and improved low-cost processor and its newest
Pentium II processor. Intel's first Celeron processor
came under fire because it lacked a critical feature
called "secondary cache" memory, which serves
as a data reservoir for the processor and boosts
performance. But Intel has brought back the cache memory
in the newest version, Celeron A, code-named Mendocino,
and performance has subsequently improved, some say
rivaling Pentium IIs.
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See
Today's Related Stories |
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By Michael Kanellos
August 21, 1998
C/Net
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Along with a slew of desktops, vendors
will be releasing new servers and workstations based
around the 450-MHz Pentium II processor to be released
Monday. IBM will release versions of its 5500 and 3000
Netfinity servers with a version of the 450-MHz on
Monday, sources said.
The Netfinity 5500 is an enterprise-class server built
for larger organizations. It can handle up to two
processors and comes with a minimum of 128MB of memory.
The 3000, meanwhile, is designed for workgroups. It
accommodates one processor and can hold between 32MB and
384MB of memory.
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See
Today's Related Stories |
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By John G. Spooner
August 21, 1998
PC Week Online
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Intel Corp. will keep its rapid-fire
mobile processor machine firing next month when it
releases the 300MHz mobile Pentium II. The 300MHz
Pentium II will be the sixth new mobile processor Intel
has released in the last year. The company, however, is
expected to slow that pace, sources said. The only mobile
processor scheduled for release in the next few months is
a 333MHz Pentium II, due in March of next year, they
said.
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By Corey Grice
August 21, 1998
C/Net
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Wall Street analysts can't seem to agree
whether semiconductor giant Intel is a good buy or not. The
bellwether chipmaker was downgraded by an influential
analyst yesterday while Piper Jaffray analyst Ashok Kumar
today upgraded the company's stock to "strong
buy" from "buy" on the strength of
increased sales and faltering competition.
"We expect units in the third quarter to be up a
strong 11 percent sequentially," Kumar wrote in his
report. "The Celeron…will displace Advanced
Micro Device's K6-2 and help Intel regain 85 percent of
the [Windows-based PC] market. AMD's inability to supply
K6-2 350MHz in volume is aiding Intel."
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By Mark Hachman
August 21, 1998
Electronic Buyers' News
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The intellectual-property industry might
learn a lesson from Chromatic Research Inc., which has
decided to abandon the "chipless" business
model it helped pioneer. In July, Chromatic
discontinued the Mpact, a media processor manufactured by
hardware licensees LG Semicon, STMicroelectronics, and
Toshiba. see July 10 story). Now, Chromatic executives
say their design teams will concentrate on a stand-alone
chip that a foundry, not a licensing partner, will
manufacture as part of a shift to a fabless strategy.
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By Michael Kanellos
August 21, 1998
C/Net
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Twenty-six semiconductor companies,
including Intel, a division of Advanced Micro Devices,
VLSI, and Texas Instruments have been named as defendants
in a controversial patent infringement lawsuit that, in
different forms and actions, has generated close to $500
million for its plaintiff. The suit, which was filed
July 31, is one of the several hundred lodged against
major industrial defendants such as Ford, Motorola,
Mitsubishi, and Apple Computer over the past 20 years.
The exact patents in question in this case have served as
the basis of at least eight other legal claims.
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By Terry Costlow and By David Lammers
August 24, 1998
EE Times
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Chip-scale packages (CSPs) could be in
short supply next year if its Direct Rambus DRAMs
(D-RDRAMs) are quickly adopted, warned Rambus Inc. chief
executive officer Geoff Tate. Rambus said it hopes that
its 10 RDRAM licensees will ship between 100 million and
200 million D-RDRAMs next year. For density and
electrical reasons, Rambus designed its D-RDRAM with
chip-scale packaging, but few of Rambus' 14 DRAM partners
have installed volume CSP production capability, Tate
said. Concern about a possible shortage in CSPs was
shared by Paul Hoffman, vice president of advanced
development at Amkor Electronics Inc. (Chandler, Ariz.).
"We're producing 300,000 to 400,000 CSPs per week,
probably second in the Tessera-style parts," he
said. "We're meeting demand, but we're doing SRAMs
and flash memory, not DRAM. When demand for Rambus chips
kicks in, there could be a situation where there are
shortages for a while."
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By Michael Kanellos
August 21, 1998
C/Net
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The $500 Intel-based computer is coming,
possibly as early as Tuesday. A cavalcade of low-cost
PCs based around the new "integrated" Celeron
processor coming Monday, combined with an oversupply of
older Celeron machines, will likely lead to fire sale
prices on current boxes.
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| Today's Related Stories |
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August 24, 1998
The Register
|
A raft of PC vendors will support
Intel's introduction of its 450MHz Pentium II and its two
enhanced Celeron processors. (See other stories on this
page). Although the original Celeron failed to garner
much support at its launch, vendors including IBM, Dell,
Hewlett Packard, Toshiba and local companies including
Carrera are expected to incorporate some, if not all of
the offerings, into PCs aimed at the September market.
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August 24, 1998
The Register
|
Intel has formally released details of
its Mendocino based microprocessors, after they were
leaked on US wires. The company is rolling out a
450MHz Pentium II and two Celeron chips which use the new
Mendocino core – the 333MHz and 300A MHz.
The chips are determinedly aimed at the low end of the
market with prices to match and pose questions about
whether Intel’s earlier Celeron strategy was sound.
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By Kristen Kenedy
August 21, 1998
Computer Retail Week
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Intel is betting on the addition of
cache to salvage the maligned Celeron brand, but
observers wonder if improved performance is enough to
save it. As Intel Friday rolls out 300-MHz and 333-MHz
Celerons with 128 kilobytes of cache, retailers said the
processors must overcome the sluggish image of their
cacheless predecessors and the momentum of Advanced Micro
Devices' and Cyrix's low-cost alternatives.
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