 |  |
 | |
|  |
|  |
|  |
|  |
|  |
|  |
|  |
|  |
|  |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Microprocessor
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top Stories for June 28, 2001 (details below) | |
| San Jose Mercury News | Intel, AMD battle over lower power consumption |
| C/Net | Intel makes strides with Tualatin chips |
| eWEEK | Transmeta unveils latest Crusoe chips |
| PC Magazine |
The NEC Ultralite Meets Transmeta Transmeta's chips could breathe new life into the Ultralite line. |
| EBN | Rauch Medien to use Via's processors in web servers |
| Truths...from the rumor mill | |
| The Inquirer | Microsoft kicks Nvidia out of talks |
| The Inquirer | AMD adjusts Hammer roadmap |
| The Inquirer | AMD to pip Intel on notebook speed |
| The Inquirer | Rambus 'duplicitous, greedy' |
| Microprocessor
Headline News Collected By Robert R. Collins |
Week of June 24, 2001 |
Older News |
| June 28, 2001 | |
Intel, AMD battle over lower power consumptionBy Therese Poletti June 26, 2001 |
Silicon Valley chip rivals Intel and Advanced Micro Devices,
which have been slugging it out for years over whose chip is
the fastest, are now fighting over a new area -- power
consumption. At the PC Expo portion of the TechXNY trade show here, both Intel and AMD, plus their Santa Clara-based rival Transmeta, are touting new chips for notebook computers that consume less power and lead to longer battery life, which is becoming increasingly important for mobile corporate customers. |
Intel makes strides with Tualatin chipsBy John G. Spooner June 27, 2001 |
Intel has moved forward in two major areas of the chipmaking
process with "Tualatin," the new Pentium III processor the
company showed off at the PC Expo trade show Wednesday. Tualatin, also known as Pentium III-M, will initially be used mainly in notebooks. Intel executives said all of the major notebook makers, including Compaq Computer, Hewlett-Packard, Dell Computer, Fujitsu and Sony, will adopt the new chip. Several have shown Tualatin-powered notebooks at PC Expo, part of the Technology Exchange Week New York event. |
Transmeta unveils latest Crusoe chipsBy Ken Popovich June 27, 2001 |
Seeking to bask in the performance numbers of their newest
low-power processors, Transmeta Corp. officials at PC Expo
strived to set aside their highly publicized stock collapse
last week and put their chips back on the table for
discussion. The upstart Silicon Valley company this week unveiled its newest generation of Crusoe processors, the high-performance TM5800, available at speeds up to 800MHz, and the TM5500, which features half the on-die memory of the TM5800, and is offered at speeds up to 733MHz. |
The NEC Ultralite Meets Transmeta
|
The original NEC Ultralite portable computer, circa 1988, had an 8.14-MHz V-30 NEC processor (8086 compatible) and came equipped with 640K of main memory in addition to 2MB of silicon hard-disk memory. The graphics were CGA, and the machine incorporated a 2400-bps modem and an external floppy. The Ultralite had long battery life, and weighed only 4.4 pounds. It was the original notebook computer during an era of heavier laptops. The Ultralite sold for around $3,000, so only a few connoisseurs ever owned one. At PC Magazine, I had one, as did Bill Machrone, who was editor at the time. Now, there is new hope for the Ultralite line. |
Rauch Medien to use Via's processors in web serversBy Faith Hung June 27, 2001 |
Via Technologies Inc. has achieved a breakthrough in its
effort to enter the microprocessor market with the adoption of
its latest C3* MPU by Internet server maker Rauch Medien,
which will use the chips to power its new line of Greenserv
web servers. Rauch Medien is one of the first processor customers that Via has announced since it entered the market about two years ago. The deal could help relieve concerns that Via's processors are unable to compete with those of Intel Corp. or Advanced Micro Devices Inc. |
| Truths...from the rumor mill | |
Microsoft kicks Nvidia out of talksBy Mike Magee June 27, 2001 |
ONE THING YOU CAN SAY ABOUT Graphzilla, as our Fudo calls
Nvidia, and that is it sure has guts. According to the latest scuttlebutt, not only is it not afraid to tell Rambus to get on its bike, as it did last year, but it will cheerfully tell the Great Satan of Software, Microsoft, to go pull its plonker as well. According to one source, Microsoft has recently held meetings with the major 3D card vendors to flesh out the specifications for the DirectX9 3D API. |
AMD adjusts Hammer roadmapBy Mike Magee June 27, 2001 |
PC EXPO is happening in New York this week and our old
sparring partner Mark Hachman, now at Extremetech, is covering
the show. He has stacks of details about a revised AMD roadmap
he's been shown, which is particularly interesting given the
Intel-Compaq deal earlier this week. Hachman says that AMD will apparently release its Clawhammer chip simultaneously with Sledgehammer. |
AMD to pip Intel on notebook speedBy Mike Magee June 27, 2001 |
SOURCES CLOSE to AMD in Taiwan say that the firm is set to
bring out a 1.2GHz Athlon Mobile processor shortly after Intel
introduces its Tualatin .13 micron microprocessors in
mid-July. And a set of mobile Durons are also likely to be released soon, attacking Intel on the Celeron end of the notebook market, the source added. Although Intel demonstrated its 1.13GHz Tualatin Pentium III-M at PC Expo this week, many are waiting eagerly to see the performance benefits such a microprocessor will bring. |
Rambus 'duplicitous, greedy'By Mike Magee June 27, 2001 |
INFLUENTIAL BIZ MAG Fortune is laying into intellectual
property firm Rambus with a vengeance, accusing it of being
laid low by its own duplicity and greed. The firm is the subject of a three page article which outlines the circumstances of the recent Infineon "Crispgate" trial, and accuses Rambus of "unparalleled hubris" in the piece. Further, the magazine thinks that it will be very hard for Rambus to get itself out of the legal morass it is in, and says that now the Federal Trade Commission is picking at the bones of the case. |
| June 27, 2001 | |
PC sales or no, Intel, AMD flaunt chipsBy John G. Spooner June 26, 2001 |
With the midpoint of the year upon them, PC chipmakers Intel
and Advanced Micro Devices will fill out their product lines
and hope for the best in the second half of 2001. Late June, when the PC industry traditionally introduces new back-to-school models, has seen a dearth of PC-related announcements this year at the PC Expo trade show, part of Technology Exchange Week New York. But that hasn't stopped the chipmakers from trumpeting their latest offerings. |
Intel's Alpha deal unlikely to raise antitrust concerns, analysts sayBy Jack Robertson June 26, 2001 |
With its deal this week to acquire the Alpha microprocesssor
architecture from Compaq Computer Corp., Intel Corp.
apparently has answered skeptics' questions as to whether the
chip giant stands to reap the same successes in the 64-bit
high-end computing market as it has in the mainstream PC
sector. By swallowing up the Alpha chip, Intel has gained rights to a rival design and ensured that it will face only one formidable 64-bit server and workstation chip competitor, Sun Microsystems -- with lesser threats coming in the form of chip architectures from IBM Corp. and MIPS Technology. |
| Truths...from the rumor mill | |
Intel to face cash meltdown?By Mike Magee June 26, 2001 |
A FEW DAYS BACK we ran a piece based on a Merrill Lynch
report, urging that we shouldn't look at quarterly results but
instead closely examine cash flow figures as these were the
factors that really determined the future of a company. We have also been urged by a number of readers to closely examine a post on the Motley Fool message board which seems to suggest that Intel is burning cash like the UK is burning cows with foot'n'mouth disease. |
Has the US FTC still got teeth?By Mike Magee June 26, 2001 |
WHEN WE REVEALED last week that Intel would get the Alpha
design group lock stock and barrel, there were quite a few
voices raised on bulletin boards and the like that surely the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) would step in and put the
kybosh on that one. Mr Michael Capellas, Mr Paul Otellini and Dr Craig Barrett maintained at a press conference today that this wasn't a matter for the FTC, seeing as Intel's deal with Compaq wasn't exclusive. The beneficiary, said Barrett, was the "end consumer". |
Intel deals hammer blow to AMDBy Mike Magee June 26, 2001 |
INTEL TAKING COMPAQ'S Alpha crown jewels means that AMD will
find itself in a worse position in the future. Sources within Compaq tell The Inquirer that a small group of engineers who were helping AMD out with its 64-bit "Hammer" project has now been dissolved. And there are other anti-AMD implications to the deal which mean that Intel has succeeded in doing far more than just ensuring VMS and NSK run on a future Itanic-like platform. |
| June 26, 2001 | |
Intel negotiates rights to Alpha MPU architecture from CompaqBy Jack Robertson June 25, 2001 |
Intel Corp. Monday signed a deal to essentially take over
Compaq Computer Corp.'s 64-bit Alpha processor technology and
subsequently infuse it into future generations of Intel's own
IA-64 processors following the Itanium. As part of the deal, Compaq will move all of its 64-bit server and workstations to Intel IA-64 bit processors by 2004. In the meantime, Compaq will move ahead with the release of a server line based on the long-awaited Alpha EV7 processor. |
Compaq puts eggs into Intel basket, plans to kill Alpha by 2004By Edward F. Moltzen June 25, 2001 |
Executives from Compaq Computer Corp. and Intel Corp. here
today shrugged off any potential regulatory concerns over
Compaq's decision to get out of the processor business and let
Intel hire its engineers. At a New York press conference to announce the surprise technology-and-marketing deal, Compaq CEO Michael Capellas said there should be no such concern because the deal is a"nonexclusive" technology licensing to Intel. |
Compaq, Intel boost Itanium in chip dealBy Joe Wilcox and Melanie Austria Farmer June 25, 2001 |
In a major boost to Intel's Itanium chip, Compaq Computer will
license its Alpha chip technology to Intel and will use
Itanium in its servers as the PC giant looks to consolidate
its operations to focus on software and computer services. Intel, through the Alpha deal, will gain valuable intellectual property from Compaq for use in its chips and a major customer for its Itanium processor. As part of the deal, Compaq will eventually transition all of its server systems to use Itanium processors. |
IBM Strikes Back At Intel R&D ClaimBy Gale Morrison June 25, 2001 |
From IBM Microelectronics headquarters in East Fishkill, N.Y.,
today, Big Blue proclaimed that it—and not Intel Corp. of
Santa Clara, Calif.—has achieved the world’s best
silicon-based transistor. IBM Microelectronics, a division of IBM Corp. (nyse: IBM), apparently did not cotton to Intel’s challenge to its manufacturing engineering supremacy. Two weeks ago in Kyoto, Japan, Intel (nasdaq: INTC) claimed it had achieved the world’s smallest silicon-based transistor. IBM will report today that it can fabricate the world’s fastest silicon-based transistor. |
Transmeta shows 0.13-micron Crusoe processorsBy Jerry Ascierto June 25, 2001 |
Looking to make an aggressive push into the subnotebook
market, Transmeta Corp. is unveiling a number of new Crusoe
microprocessors based on 0.13-micron technology at the PC
Expo/TechX trade show this week. Bolstering its arsenal for an ongoing battle with Intel Corp., Transmeta hopes to leverage the momentum of numerous design wins in Asia for the U.S. notebook market, a relatively untapped segment for the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company. |
Transmeta To Use TSMC For 0.13-Micron CrusoeJune 25, 2001 |
Transmeta Corp. today announced new versions of its Crusoe
microprocessors manufactured on Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Co.’s (TSMC) 0.13-micron process technology. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Transmeta (nasdaq: TMTA) said its Crusoe TM5800 and TM5500 microprocessors will offer up to 50 percent better performance and will consume 20 percent less power than the company’s previous generation of microprocessors. IBM Microelectronics had previously been Transmeta’s sole foundry for processed wafers. |
JEDEC solidifies DDR-II specificationBy Jack Robertson June 25, 2001 |
JEDEC announced Monday that the industry standards body had
approved the preliminary spec for the next generation DDR-II
memory chip, which is expected to be in production in 2003. A panel of 120 companies approved the spec at a recent meeting in Tokyo. JEDEC officials said initial samples of the DDR-II chip should be available in 2002, with production coming nine to 18 months later. DDR-II is expected to be lower voltage at 1.8V, with speeds up to 533MHz. The chip is also expected to be optimized as memory for both PC and handheld devices. |
| Truths...from the rumor mill | |
Via beats US firms to .13µ punchBy Mike Magee June 25, 2001 |
PLUCKY LITTLE TAIWANESE CPU MAKER Via was the first to roll
out .13 micron X86 microprocessors, as reported here some time
back, but tomorrow La Intella and hard-pressed Trancemeta will
slog it out over notebook chips they are due to launch. As we revealed here, and in early April (Intel plots mobile products future), Intel's high end Pentium III-M will debut in two flavours, a 1.13GHz processor at $637 and the 1.06GHz processor at $508. |
Transmeta, Tualatin up on WebBy Mike Magee June 25, 2001 |
THE GUYS at Transmeta are obviously having some kind of a
seminar in Japan, which explains these pix on Akiba Pricewatch. And because the Japanese are both price sensitive and cost sensitive, here we have some shots of Tualatin PIIIs. Now our info about the latter is they're different from what the rest of the world will get but how or why, we cannot imagine, although the words Coppermine Pentium III recur in the text. |
Capellas explains
Intel move to staff
|
When we say "explained", what we mean is that Mr Capellas has
written one of his very long letters to his staff again. As
one of them thar engineers says, sigh... But the British Stock Exchange! Gulp.... Subject: Compaq and Intel To: Compaq Global Team ... |
Itanic looks healthier with Alpha transfusionBy John Leyden June 25, 2001 |
IT systems are becoming so complex that firms will fail to be
competitive if they try to do everything themselves, according
to Compaq's head honcho. Michael Capellas, Compaq's chief executive, made the comments at a press conference held today in New York to spin off the Alpha development part of its business to Intel, the financials details of which are not being released. |
| June 25, 2001 | |
Race heats up for 0.13-micron MPUs for notebooks, but portable market is slowingBy Mark LaPedus June 22, 2001 |
The race to deliver the world's first 0.13-micron
microprocessors is heating up, particularly in the notebook
PCs arena. But the new processor technology is coming at an
inopportune time for suppliers as the current slowdown in
desktop PCs begins to spread into the notebook space,
according to analysts. At next week's TechX NY trade show in New York (June 26-28), Intel Corp. and Transmeta Corp. plan to separately unveil their first, x86-based microprocessor lines, based on 0.13-micron design rules. |
Transmeta chugs along despite slow salesBy John G. Spooner June 22, 2001 |
Transmeta's current chips aren't selling as well as expected,
but the upstart is still moving ahead on future processors. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company announced late Thursday a deal to license chip technology from tech giant Seiko Epson. A patent swap between the two companies will grant Transmeta access to technology that it can use to develop processors and chipsets with improved energy efficiency for notebook PCs and Internet appliances. |
Intel quietly unveils Tualatin chip for serversBy Jack Robertson June 22, 2001 |
Intel Corp. this week quietly launched its long-awaited
Tualatin 0.13-micron process 1.13-GHz Pentium III processor,
aimed at servers. With no announcement, Intel simply posted the Tualatin Pentium III spec sheet on its Web site, and a spokesman acknowleged that the chips are being shipped to some customers. The first products to use Tualatin with its expanded 512-kilobit L2 on-chip cache will be servers. Compaq Computer Corp. has already said it will shortly unveil a new server line using Tualatin. |
Mobile products set to upstage PCs at expoBy John G. Spooner June 22, 2001 |
As if anyone needed further evidence that the PC industry is
on the skids, consider that it can't even command its own
trade show anymore. The long-running PC Expo program is now part of TechX NY, opening Tuesday in New York. The name change is more than symbolic, as desktop PCs will be a low-priority item at the show. Attention instead will go to a range of devices, from tiny USB hubs to home entertainment products, PDAs and notebook computers. |
| Truths...from the rumor mill | |
Intel's low power Pentium PizzasBy Mike Magee June 24, 2001 |
AS INTEL QUIETLY CONFIRMED that it had introduced its first
copper Tualatin Pentium III processors last week, we also
managed to catch a glimpse of the firm's server strategy,
which it hopes to propagate - equally quietly - over the
second half of this year and the first half of next. The situation was slightly confused because of in-fighting at Intel which meant everything was put on hold because of the mobile platform La will pre-announce next week. Intel is incredibly proud of the success of its mobile division although it may need to look to its laurel real soon now. |
Intel's copper whoppas message muteBy Mike Magee June 22, 2001 |
WHILE INTEL CONFIRMED this week that it has successfully moved
to the .13 micron process and using copper interconnects, that
message was terrifically muted, The Inquirer thinks. Intel has not really made anything of the fact that it has shipped Tualatin .13 micron microprocessors for the server platform. Craig Barrett, the firm's CEO, said nothing about it when he was raging about Postman Pat earlier in the week. |
| Advertisement |