| May 1, 1998 |
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By Charles Cooper
April 29, 1998
PC Week
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Advanced Micro Devices Inc. plans to
roll out its newest microprocessor in late May, but one
analyst says lingering technical problems could mar the
introduction. Acer Labs, which is making a socket 7
logic chip set for the upcoming K6-3D from AMD, is
experiencing difficulty keeping systems stable when they
run at 100MHz, according to Ashok Kumar, of Piper
Jaffray.
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By Jim Louderback
April 30, 1998
PC Week Online
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What sounds green and crunchy but is
actually slow and pricey? Give up? It's Intel's new
Celeron processor. Despite having a name better suited
to Bon Appetit than The Microprocessor Report, Intel's
new processor pretends to offer Pentium II performance at
prices suitable for an $800 computer. But if you're
thinking of buying a bunch of these Celeron-based
machines, don't. This chip was wilted even before it left
the shop.
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By Om Malik
April 30, 1998
Forbes Magazine
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In December, the 3D-graphics industry
was filled with anticipation for the i740--the first
3D-graphics chip from Intel Corp. The impending launch
of the chip was seen as the end of an era. Analysts
thought Intel's entry would kill off small chipmakers who
had made a nice living selling into the desktop PC
market.
So far, Intel's offering has had no perceptible impact
on such established players in the business as ATI
Technologies, but do not count Intel out as yet.
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By Reuters
April 30, 1998
C/Net
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The Czech government yesterday approved
investment incentives for companies that invest a minimum
of $25 million into new manufacturing projects, with the
specific intention of wooing chipmaking giant Intel. The
package includes five-year tax holidays, an acceleration
of the write-offs on depreciation, specified duty-free
technology imports, duty-free zones, and state subsidies
for training, according to Industry and Trade Minister
Karel Kuhnl.
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By Kelly Spang
April 30, 1998
TechWeb
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Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) will go
head-to-head with Intel's Pentium II starting May 28,
when AMD rolls out its next-generation K6 chip. Previously
called the K6-3D, AMD (company profile) Thursday renamed
the processor the K6-2, but still plans to incorporate
the company's 3-D NOW technology.
At its May debut, the K6-2 will be running at around
300 MHz and increase in speed in the second half of the
year, according to a product road map chart presented at
Thursday's annual shareholder meeting.
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By Stephan Ohr
April 30, 1998
EE Times
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With the introduction of the ADM1021,
Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) becomes one of the first
manufacturers to take advantage of the "thermal
diode" embedded on the Intel Mobile Pentium II chip.
The technique, which uses temperature-dependent
base-emitter voltage (Vbe), provides an accurate,
low-cost way to gauge MPU temperature. The ADM1021
exploits the negative temperature coefficient of a diode
(or the base-emitter voltage of a transistor) operated at
constant current. By running two different currents
through a diode or transistor on the microprocessor chip
and measuring the change in voltage, the ADM1021 can
calculate the temperature. The calculation is reported
over a two-wire serial interface that's compatible with
System Management Bus (SMBus), used for smart batteries.
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By Jim Davis
April 30, 1998
C/Net
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If a Japanese start-up has its way,
people will be able to get Internet access and keep
perishables fresh with the same appliance. Why you
might desire this kind of device, however, is a whole
other matter.
Japan's V Sync Technology is hoping to shake up the
bland world of kitchen appliances by combining a 333-MHz
Pentium II processor with a refrigerator. A prototype
unit places a desktop PC with 128MB of memory and a 3.2GB
hard disk drive on top of the refrigerator, according to
a report in the online edition of Nikkei Business
Publications.
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| April 29, 1998 |
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By Margaret Kane
April 28, 1998
ZD Net News
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The Federal Trade Commission is
preparing a lawsuit against Intel Corp. (INTC) accusing
the company of antitrust violations, according to a
report in USA Today. Citing sources close to the
investigation, the paper today said the suit will center
on Intel's practice of withholding information about its
processors from companies it is fighting with.
Intel officials were not immediately available for
comment. A spokeswoman for the FTC said the commission
could neither confirm nor deny an investigation.
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See
Today's Related Stories |
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By Staff Writer
April 28, 1998
The Register
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AMD has announced that it hopes to raise
an additional $400 million on the US markets. The
offering was filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission yesterday and consists of convertible
subordinated notes which are convertible into the
company’s common stock. The offering, said AMD, will
be pursuant to a prospectus supplement and the
company’s $1 billion shelf registration statement.
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By Mark Hachman
April 28, 1998
Electronic Buyer's News
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Having freed the Alpha microprocessor
from Intel’s fabs, the Federal Trade Commission is
moving to protect the chip from the world’s largest
PC maker, Compaq Computer Corp. The agency has told
Digital Equipment Corp., which owns the chip, that it
must select a trustee to monitor all talks involving
licensing Alpha to other manufacturers. If a deal
doesn’t meet with the FTC’s approval, the
government has reserved the right to replace the trustee
and assume control of the negotiations.
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By Loyd Case
April 29, 1998
Computer Gaming World
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Space Cadet, by science-fiction pioneer
Robert Heinlein, is one of my favorite books. In the
story, the powers-that-be inflict a series of tests on
the would-be astronaut. One test involved operating a
complex machine. But after reading and rereading the
instructions several times, it dawns on our hero that
successful operation of this particular machine is
impossible. When he confronts the instructor, he's just
told to move on. Confronting CPU choices this year, I
feel like that astronaut wannabe. Every time I think I
have finally made the right choice, another wrinkle pops
up. So I thought I'd cover what will happen on the CPU
front in the next few months and solicit opinions. That's
right, it's audience participation time once again.
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By Alexander Wolfe
April 28, 1998
EE Times
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Paving a software path toward Intel's
upcoming 64-bit microprocessor, Hewlett-Packard Co. today
disclosed that it has licensed a Merced-capable version
of its Unix-like HP-UX operating system to Hitachi, NEC
and Stratus Computer. HP's operating system, called
HP-UX on IA-64, is expected to be available at the same
time Intel ships Merced in late 1999. (HP worked jointly
with Intel to define the instruction set used in the
IA-64 architecture, which is the basis for Merced.)
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By Lisa M. Bowman
April 28, 1998
ZD Net News
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The words "Think
Disillusioned" replaced "Think Different"
on an Apple Computer Inc. billboard in the Silicon Valley
Tuesday, after a vandal, or vandals, defaced the ad. And
the rainbow-colored apple that's been the company's
trademark for years was whittled down to a creepy
grinning skull. The image of the Dalai Lama on the
billboard remained unharmed.
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| Today's Related Stories |
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By James Niccolai
April 28, 1998
InfoWorld Electric
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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
declined to confirm reports Tuesday that it plans to
subject Intel to a two-pronged antitrust suit, and
industry analysts and an antitrust lawyer were divided
over whether or not such a case is likely to be brought. Intel
makes an estimated 90 percent of the chips that power the
world's personal computers, which last year brought it
revenues of $25.1 billion. Its market share already has
attracted the attention of the FTC, which is now
considering two antitrust lawsuits against the chip
giant, according to reports published in USA Today.
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| April 28, 1998 |
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By Michael Kanellos
April 27, 1998
C/Net
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The California Public Employees'
Retirement System (CalPERS) sent out a letter to fellow
Advanced Micro Devices shareholders asking them to vote
for a resolution calling for the replacement of chairman
and CEO Jerry Sanders with an independent chairman of the
board. The letter previews the showdown that will
likely take place between CalPERS, which owns 500,000
shares of AMD stock, and the colorful and the sometimes
controversial Sanders at the AMD stockholder's meeting
April 30 in New York.
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By Stephanie Miles
April 27, 1998
C/Net
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Suspicious PC owners who believe they
may have been sold a fake 300-MHz Pentium II processor
can now run a simple test to find out whether they've
been duped. The test, devised by German publication
c't, indicates whether a system is running a 266- or
300-MHz Intel chip.
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Related Stories Counterfeit Intel chips may be rising March 30,
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By Kelly Spang
Apr. 27, 1998
Computer Reseller News
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Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems Inc.
is the latest OEM to reveal its intentions to deliver
enterprise-class servers based on Intel Corp.'s Merced
chip. In addition, the San Jose-based systems maker
said it would not use its own Reliant Unix operating
systems on these 64 bit-Intel servers, opting instead to
run Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Solaris.
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By Reuters
April 27, 1998
C/Net
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Dell Computer (DELL) chief financial
officer Tom Meredith said that PC demand is
"robust" and that the competitive PC landscape
is "rational." Meredith told a Hambrecht
& Quist technology conference that as PC market share
continues to consolidate among the top five players,
there is still an opportunity for Dell to gain more
market share.
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| April 27, 1998 |
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By Staff Writer
April 23, 1998
The Register
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A source close to AMD’s plans told
The Register today how the company will be disposed of. According
to the senior executive, AMD will be divided into three
parts, as CEO Jerry Sanders nears retirement.
The K6 chip part, the source said, is likely to end up
in IBM Microelectronics hands. The profitable and
lucrative networking business will be spun off as a
separate unit. And the third, logic unit, is likely to be
sold to the biggest bidder. 3Com is the favourite for the
third part.
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Acid
Test
c't software exposes fake Pentium II
models
By Georg Schnurer
September 1998
c't Magazine
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For more than four years, c't has
reported about fake processors being sold in Germany in
ever changing varieties. Innumerable users have asked us:
"Is there a software with which to detect the
fraud?" and we have always had to say there wasn't.
Now, however, we are able to make the impossible
possible: A c't test program exposes the current fake
Pentium II varieties. At present, forgers specialize
in Pentium II with 266Mhz which they offer as 300MHz
models either with a made up labels or in mock plastic
casings. Various retailers sell these manipulated
processors - in most cases even without knowing. The
forgers once again take advantage of the fact that many
processors can be run at a faster clock rate for at least
a certain amount of time. This is because chips of the
same type with different speeds are normally produced in
the same lot and sorted afterwards; in the test
procedure, the manufacturers want to be safe and allow
for a
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By Staff Writer
April 21, 1998
The Register
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National Semiconductor subsidiary Cyrix
has said it will have a 400MHz M2 processor using a
100MHz bus by the year end but will maintain socket seven
compatibility for the whole of 1998 and as long into 1999
as it can. That news came as AMD responded to
Intel’s price cuts last Thursday by cutting its own
K6 prices. (Err... reported here last week).
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By George Leopold, Ron Wilson and Rick Boyd-Merritt
April 24, 1998
EE Times
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The Federal Trade Commission will
require multiple production sources for Digital Equipment
Corp.'s Alpha microprocessor technology as part of a
settlement last week that clears the way for Intel Corp.
to acquire Digital's IC manufacturing operations. Intel
and Digital said they plan to complete the acquisition as
soon as possible. In deciding not to block the deal,
the FTC said it will require Digital to license Alpha
technology to Intel rivals Advanced Micro Devices,
Korea's Samsung Electronics and IBM Corp. Digital would
be allowed to choose other companies instead with FTC
approval. The FTC said that "Digital's Alpha
microprocessor represents the greatest technological
challenge to Intel, and stands as the most significant
threat to Intel's continued market dominance."
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By Michael Kanellos
April 24, 1998
C/Net
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The K6 3D processor, Advanced Micro
Devices' next great hope for market share, will debut at
the E3 conference May 28, but the chip's full potential
may be delayed because of part problems. The K6
3D--which will be introduced at speeds of 266 MHz and 300
MHz, along with systems that incorporate it--will feature
better "floating point" performance for faster
graphical computing, as well as a new set of 3D
instructions. But the biggest improvement will be its
ability to talk to other components in the computer at a
higher speed with a faster "bus."
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By Staff Writer
April 24, 1998
The Register
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The US Federal Trade Commission will
allow a deal between Intel and Digital to go ahead, but
not without safeguards. A ruling released late
yesterday means that a settlement between the two
companies will go ahead but could be reviewed if other
companies, including AMD, fail in their bids to license
elements of Alpha technology.
The FTC also wants IBM and other semiconductor
companies to license the Alpha technology. But it is a
moot point whether Big Blue is interested in so doing.
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By Staff Writer
April 22, 1998
The Register
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Senior executives at Intel admitted
yesterday there were caught with excess stock but said
the company was introducing safeguards to prevent that
happening in the future. Heavyweights at the Santa
Clara company also selectively leaked details of up and
coming processors in an attempt to reassure the markets
that all was well. The company also said that sales of
chips into the Indian and Chinese markets would assist it
in the future.
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By Staff Writer
April 23, 1998
The Register
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Centaur-IDT has started large scale
production of its WinChip CPU at its eight-inch fab in
Oregon. The company had manufactured small volumes at its
R&D centre in San Jose, but its Hillsboro fab will
produce up to 90 per cent of the company’s capacity. IDT
also has an agreement with IBM, like AMD and Cyrix, to
produce microprocessors, and some of its processors will
be manufactured by Big Blue towards the end of this year.
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By Roger C. Lanctot
April 27, 1998
Computer Retail Week
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Prospects for Intel's Pentium II
processors picked up in March as PCs based on the PII
architecture outsold systems based on Advanced Micro
Devices' K6 microprocessors for the first time since
December, according to market research from PC Data. PII-based
PCs represented 30.1 percent of PCs sold in retail stores
in March, up from 22.9 percent in February, while AMD
K6-based systems captured 28.6 percent of sales, down
from 31.2 percent in February, reported PC Data, in
Reston, Va.
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