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| Top Stories for November 3, 2000 (details below) | |
| The Register | Desperate Dell begging Transmeta for a Crusoe deal? |
| CNNfn |
Transmeta IPO on track Mobile chip firm's offering can still shine, despite IBM black eye |
| The Register Files | |
| The Register | Intel spin doctors have taken over the asylum |
| The Register | Transmeta talks benchmarks ... and 10 hour charges |
| Microprocessor
Headline News Collected By Robert R. Collins |
Week of October 29, 2000 |
Older News |
| November 3, 2000 | ||
Desperate Dell begging Transmeta for a Crusoe deal?By John Lettice November 2, 2000 |
Dell's cosy relationship with Intel, and a little carelessness with secret files, is causing the company serious grief with Transmeta, a usually reliable source alleges. "Dell has been calling Transmeta every week for the last two months," he says, but Transmeta won't return the calls.
According to our source Dell's problem dates back some way, to the time when Transmeta was hawking its wares around the PC business. "It appears that Dell 'shared' all its Transmeta info with Intel," he says. "Transmeta found out about this and was not too happy, cutting off Dell from all information, since giving information to Dell is 'like giving it to Intel.'" |
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Transmeta IPO on track
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Though IBM spurned Transmeta Corp.'s Crusoe microprocessor for an upcoming notebook, Transmeta's initial public offering is still on track for next week and should produce solid returns, according to analysts.
IBM's decision not to use Transmeta's mobile computing chip in its ThinkPad 240 without giving a specific reason puzzled many investors, especially considering that IBM physically manufactures and tests the Crusoe for Transmeta. |
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| November 2, 2000 | ||
Intel claimed to have squeezed IBM to dump TransmetaBy John Lettice November 1, 2000 |
IBM's decision to dump its planned Crusoe-based ThinkPad 240 had nothing to do with benchmarks, and everything to do with Intel, according to sources close to Transmeta. Quanta, which was to build the machines, was surprised when the project was abruptly cancelled; one Transmeta partner who declined to be named told The Register: "It was on schedule, fully functional, and IBM were very happy with it."
Taipei sources are adamant that Intel put the squeeze on IBM. The company - which you'll recall was recently entirely vindicated in an antitrust case - is claimed to have told Big Blouse that Intel CPUs and chipsets might be in desperately short supply. Even more so, for even longer, that is. |
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IBM knifes Crusoe ThinkPad on eve of Transmeta IPOBy John Lettice November 1, 2000 |
A wheel has finally fallen off the Transmeta bandwagon, quite possibly taking some millions of dollars of next week's IPO price with it. IBM has spiked its plans to produce a Crusoe-based ThinkPad 240 this quarter, pleading mysteriously that the beast doesn't fit into its marketing plans.
Did Intel get to IBM? Or should we read "manufacturing" for "marketing"? Probably a little of both. Assuming that production hadn't started already, IBM had left it pretty late to push the button, and the "Q4" shipments would hardly have made it into the channel before Christmas interrupted. And despite having shown one of its famous "technology demonstrations" of a Crusoe 240 at PX Expo, IBM has been seriously outhyped by Sony et al, who have announced Transmeta products (several times apiece) and even started shipping some of them. |
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Top Ten Reasons Why Rambus Will Sue IntelBy Phil Trent November 2, 2000 |
1. Intel is preparing to dump Rambus at the first opportunity.
Craig Barrett is understandably angry with Rambus RDRAM performance and cost, as well as the lawsuits against ram makers. Just like the mythical troll, you pay the toll, or else. Admitting Rambus is a mistake is like a building collapsing under its own weight and then someone mentioning that the building might not have been stable. Duh. Some credit must be given to Mr. Barrett for admitting a mistake. Perhaps Intel is not as doomed as many might think. I admire Intel's investors -- such optimism in the face of disasters and AMD's dominance for the foreseeable future in the high-end desktop is very admirable. |
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Intel exec confirms plan to field DDR-enabled chipset for Pentium 4 processorsBy Jack Robertson November 1, 2000 |
Confirming speculation that has prevailed in research circles for weeks, Intel Corp. Wednesday said it will adopt double-data-rate SDRAM for the company's upcoming Pentium 4 microprocessor at the point at which DDR memory "becomes mainstream in the market."
Paul Otellini, executive vice president and general manager of the Intel Architecture Group, told a webcast briefing for financial analysts that "we will take advantage of DDR, after introducing a single-data-rate SDRAM chipset [for Pentium 4] next year." Otellini reiterated Intel's long held stance that Direct Rambus DRAM memory continues to be the company's memory of choice for the high-performance PC market segment, but "in the drive into multiple [market] price points, we find the need to have multiple memory solutions." |
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Samsung becomes fifth DRAM maker to license Rambus SDRAM patentsNovember 1, 2000 |
Rambus Inc. here today announced it has added Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. to its list of DRAM companies agreeing to license patented technologies for
SDRAM, double data rate (DDR) memories, and controllers interfacing to those chips. The South Korean memory giant joins Japan's NEC, Toshiba, Hitachi, and Oki in paying extra royalties for those Rambus patents. During the summer, Rambus stirred up a legal controversy when it began negotiating new licensing pacts for patents on high-speed synchronous DRAMs, DDR chips, and controllers. The company is also promoting its own Direct Rambus memory format as a competitor to DDR memories for high-bandwidth storage in new computers, with the backing of Intel Corp. |
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Intel remains bullish on growth, gives mixed reviews on Rambus effortsBy Mark LaPedus November 1, 2000 |
During a live Webcast today, Intel Corp. gave an update on its recent financial performance and product strategies, including its problems with Rambus Inc. and bold plans for the Pentium 4 processor.
And after reporting lackluster results in the third quarter, Intel also attempted to ease fears that its business is slowing down. "We're bullish," declared Craig Barrett, president and chief executive of Intel during the Webcast. "We're bullish about our core products. I expect our communications will grow by 50% a year." |
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Intel moves up date for Pentium 4 to be primary chipBy Michael Kanellos November 1, 2000 |
The Pentium 4 will become Intel's primary microprocessor in terms of volume by early 2002 or late 2001, company executives said today--earlier than anticipated.
Paul Otellini, general manager of the Intel Architecture Group, told analysts during a Web broadcast that the Pentium 4 will hit its "crossover" point for volume production, or the point at which the chip will account for 50 percent of all microprocessor output, in early 2002. |
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| November 1, 2000 | ||
Intel set to untie knot with Rambus
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Intel Corp.'s turbulent marriage with Rambus Inc. is on the rocks.
Intel, the biggest booster of the Mountain View company's advanced memory designs, reportedly plans to stop using the Rambus memory technology for its new chip designs next year except for chips in high-performance workstations. The souring relationship sent Rambus shares plunging 16 percent Tuesday, or $8.50 a share, to close at $44.94. Intel shares were unchanged at $45 amid a strong rally in tech stocks. |
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Intel denies backing off RDRAMBy John G. Spooner October 31, 2000 |
Chip maker says RDRAM is still the choice for high-end PCs, but it reiterates its search for alternatives for lower-cost PCs.
Intel Corp. on Tuesday reaffirmed its support for Rambus Inc.'s Rambus direct RAM memory technology for high-end PCs after a trade journal on Monday said the chip maker would phase out support for the technology in favor of less expensive alternatives. News of the phase-out caused Rambus (Nasdaq: RMBS) shares to plummet 20 percent Tuesday morning. |
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Rambus falls 20 percent on Intel support concernsBy Reuters October 31, 2000 |
Shares of memory chip designer Rambus Inc. fell more than 20 percent Tuesday after an online trade magazine said chip-making giant Intel Corp. would phase out its use of most Rambus technology.
Rambus shares were down $11-3/4 to $41-11/16 in morning trade, making the stock the top percentage loser on Nasdaq. Electronic Buyers' News said it had obtained a document that showed Intel's plans for its future support of Rambus technology. |
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Intel winds down in GHz clock raceBy Jack Robertson October 31, 2000 |
Here's a great present, AMD -- from your good friend, Intel. The microprocessor king is forfeiting the mainstream desktop GHz clock race to its closest competitor for the next nine months -- until Intel fields its own comparable speed-grade desktop processors in mid-2001.
But you say Intel will be unveiling the 1.4- to 1.5-GHz Pentium 4, known as the Willamette, next month? Despite what the Santa Clara, Calif., marketing machine may try to convey, the Willamette appearing Nov. 20 isn't a mainstream desktop processor and comparable to AMD's Athlon Thunderbird and Mustang. It's aimed strictly at the very high-performance (more than $2,000) workstation and desktop market. |
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Via May Make Pentium 4 Chipset Without Intel ApprovalBy Alan Patterson October 31, 2000 |
Via Technologies, Inc., the world's No. 2 computer chipset designer, said it will make a chipset enabling high-speed memory chips to be used with Intel's Pentium 4 processor, possibly without permission from the No. 1 chipmaker.
Via plans to introduce its PX266 chipset supporting double data rate, or DDR, memory for the Pentium 4 processor during the first quarter of next year, Taiwan's Commercial Times said today. |
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National's flagship design finds home in iPaqBy Jerry Ascierto October 31, 2000 |
Winning its third design this month, National Semiconductor today announced that its flagship Geode reference design is the architecture behind Compaq's iPaq IA-2 home Internet appliance.
The news comes fresh on the heels of a design win with Honeywell's WebPad, as well as an alliance struck with eMachines to design its new MSN Companion around the Geode architecture. According to research firm International Data Corp. (IDC), the worldwide market for home Internet appliances is poised to grow to over 10 million units in 2002, up from 1.6 million units in 1999. |
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IBM puts Transmeta plans on holdBy Michael Kanellos October 31, 2000 |
IBM has suspended a project geared toward releasing a ThinkPad notebook containing Crusoe processors from Transmeta, company executives confirmed Tuesday.
The reversal couldn't come at a worse time for Transmeta, as the company is slated to hold its initial public offering on Nov. 6, according to the Web site of principal underwriter Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. IBM has canceled a project for adding Crusoe microprocessors to its ThinkPad 240 notebook, saying that the notebook does not fit within its current marketing plans, according to a company spokesman. In June, Big Blue had showcased a ThinkPad 240 containing a Crusoe chip at PC Expo. |
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| October 31, 2000 | ||
Intel roadmap shows little Rambus support in 2001By Jack Robertson October 30, 2000 |
A confidential road map obtained by EBN shows Intel Corp. dropping Direct Rambus DRAM from every computing platform but high-end workstations by mid-2001. This would appear to bear out recent comments by Intel president Craig Barrett that the exclusive deal to support the memory interface was “a mistake.”
According to the document, Intel will phase out the slow-selling Direct RDRAM-enabled 820 chipset in the first quarter of next year, while the yet-to-be-introduced Intel 850 chipset will be dropped in the middle of the third quarter. At that time, Intel's sole remaining Rambus chipset will be an enhanced 850 device code-named Tehama-E, which the company is rolling out for workstations and PCs costing more than $2,000. |
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AMD says DDR platforms are ready to roll with new Athlon, chip setOctober 30, 2000 |
During a press conference here and around the world, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. today claimed to be the first chip supplier to offer a PC platform supporting double data rate (DDR) memory. The solution includes the AMD-760 chip set and a new Athlon processor with a 266-MHz front-side bus for the highest grade of DDR memory available, according to the company.
The move is part of AMD's efforts to take advantage of Intel Corp.'s backing of the Direct Rambus memory format, which has been plagued with delays in chip sets from Intel and higher costs compared to today's mainstream synchronous DRAMs. |
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Quanta Says Transmeta Notebooks to Go on Market in 4th QuarterBy Alan Patterson October 31, 2000 |
Quanta Computer Inc., the world's No. 2 maker of notebook computers, has started production of systems using a processor from Transmeta Corp. of the U.S. that should be in the market by the fourth quarter, according to Executive Vice President Michael Wang.
Taiwan's Commercial Times newspaper reported today that International Business Machines Corp. canceled a project with Quanta to make notebook computers using Transmeta's Crusoe processor. Wang said that while he could not comment on specific customers, he confirmed that Quanta is making Crusoe-based systems. The Crusoe chip is Transmeta's first product. |
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Transmeta InterviewBy Jimmy Vienneau October 22, 2000 |
Recently, I had a talk with Transmeta's Phillip Bergman about their current technologies and the plans they have for the future. My questions are in blue and Mr. Bergman's responses are in white. I would like to thank Phillip Bergman for answering our questions and also Marian Li for her help at Transmeta. On with the questions! | |
| October 30, 2000 | ||
Pentium 4 Ready In A MonthBy Reuters October 27, 2000 |
The long-awaited Pentium 4 microprocessor should launch in about a month, just ahead of its original year-end target, Intel CEO Craig Barrett said Friday.
"We'll price the Pentium 4 processor precisely as necessary to get it in the volume desktop marketplace," Barrett told reporters here. "The product will be introduced in about a month and we are going to ramp it very rapidly next year," he added. |
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Intel bundling Pentium 4 chips with Direct RDRAMBy Jack Robertson October 27, 2000 |
As the Nov. 20 launch of the Pentium 4 nears, Intel Corp. is priming the pump by shipping limited quantities of the new microprocessor bundled with Direct Rambus DRAM, according to industry sources.
Though Intel exited the DRAM market years ago, the company is shipping a discounted package of pre-launch Willamette-class Pentium 4 chips with Rambus memory to motherboard makers, distributors, and resellers, sources said. The program is intended to lay a foundation of systems -- mainly workstations and high-end PCs -- by offsetting the high cost of Direct RDRAM. |
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Intel protects software with IA-64 patentsBy Alexander Wolfe October 27, 2000 |
A flurry of more than 20 new patents suggests Intel Corp. is expanding its time-tested legal strategy to prevent cloning of its new, flagship IA-64 architecture.
Some experts wonder whether Intel is taking a new tack in corralling its rights to IA-64. That is, rather than submit garden-variety claims to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Intel is trying to patent the functions carried out by specific instructions. In doing so, the company appears to be, in effect, trying to patent the IA-64 instruction set itself. |
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AMD Moves Athlon To DDRBy Mark Hachman October 27, 2000 |
Advanced Micro Devices is about to take the Athlon platform to the next level.
AMD, Sunnyvale, Calif., will on Monday unveil the AMD 760, a chipset which increases the speed of the microprocessor bus to 266-MHz, while adding support for faster double-data-rate (DDR) memory. The company will also unveil complementary Athlon microprocessors that use the new bus. |
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The Register Files |
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Intel spin doctors have taken over the asylumBy Andrew Thomas October 28, 2000 |
Craig 'Five Speeches' Barrett has been at it again. Speaking to
hacks in Taipei on Friday, he claimed that Pentium 4 was launching ahead of schedule.
According to Barrett, P4 was originally scheduled for launch "at the end of the year". Craig, please read your own company's roadmaps. Willamette/P4 was originally to appear in 2H 2000. This was then refined to Q3 2000. Later still, October 30th was earmarked, finally slipping to November 20th to allow a graphics glitch with the Tehama chipset to be rectified. |
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Transmeta talks benchmarks ... and 10 hour chargesBy Andrew Orlowski October 28, 2000 |
Transmeta didn't sound like it was on the warpath when we caught up with executives this week to talk benchmarks.
Director of Marketing Ed McKernan points out that the ZD Battery Life benchmark takes no account at all of LongRun, and simply hammers the machine until the battery gives out. A more realistic working set that allows the machine to take advantage of LongRun, can add 30pc to battery life by throttling back the voltage. |
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