I don't know if this has been posted, but I didn't see it in Part 1 of the JS interview (check out the bit about Jerry's last project):
AMD's Sledgehammer is a blow to Intel's Itanium
By Richard Barry
Tue, 29 Feb 2000 13:05:49 GMT
URL: zdnet.co.uk
AMD chief Sanders says Itanium will be a stumbling block for Intel in the
32-bit arena and he can't wait to cash in on it...
Jerry Sanders, chief executive and chairman of Intel rival AMD, said
during an interview in Hannover on Monday that his company's 64-bit
Sledgehammer processor, due at the end of 2001, will be "the realisation
of AMD's dream". Sledgehammer will allow the company to exploit what it
sees as a tactical error in Intel's 64-bit strategy.
The new processor will have the edge over Intel's Itanium, according to
Sanders, in that it will be better able to run existing 32-bit software.
"Intel is abandoning its 32-bit market with Itanium, forcing customers to
move to completely new [64-bit] software," he said.
The statement, while overblown -- Intel's Itanium does run 32-bit
software, but Sanders argues it will do so slower than existing Pentium
IIIs -- points to a significant risk for AMD: it is betting that
corporations moving to a 64-bit architecture will still demand high
performance in the 32-bit space. The company is also hoping that
Microsoft will support its move. Sanders explained: "Sledgehammer will be
an extension of current x86 instruction, and yes, for us to win out, we
need support from Microsoft and that's a risk. They could say no."
Asked if Sledgehammer could keep up with Itanium's native 64-bit
performance, Sanders would offer no guarantees. "What I can guarantee is
that our customers will be able to run 64-bit applications and 32-bit
applications with state-of-the-art silicon, and fast. Intel cannot do
that, and for any company moving to Itanium, they'd better start saving
for new software."
Intel would neither confirm nor deny Sanders' prediction that Itanium
will be a slug on existing 32-bit software. A company spokesman told
ZDNet on Tuesday that, "Itanium is a 64-bit processor and it is entirely
common that when you move to a new architecture, you have to recompile
your existing applications to get full benefit." When pressed, the
spokesman added: "I can't comment on this because we are not that far in
our testing. There is some early silicon out there, but it's too early to
say. What I would like to emphasise is that Itanium has built-in 32-bit
capability."
Senior analyst at Dataquest, Joe D'Elia, threw some cold water of
Sanders' claims, but at the same time did not undermine Sledgehammer's
future. " I don't actually think he [Sanders] is right -- there is a real
requirement for 64-bit software for data mining and people running large
Oracle databases and so on. Current 64-bit software will not run on
Itanium, but don't forget it can be recompiled to work with the chip. And
Intel has worked hard over last two years, with the Itanium development
fund for example, to ensure there will be enough software available to
make the move to Itanium worth it at launch."
D'Elia argues that companies moving to IA-64 will be willing to move
their software "otherwise they'd stick with IA-32. That said, I'm
confident that Sledgehammer will do well, but it has got its work cut out
for it trying to penetrate the server and high end workstation space. I
think another thing AMD needs to look at that by the time Sledgehammer
arrives, McKinley (Itanium's successor) will be there with much better
performance."
Sanders reckons Intel's move to 64-bit is another example of its
willingness to bully customers onto new architectures. "Customers do not
want to go to new software and new operating systems because they're
using a new chip... Itanium, from what we have seen and heard will run
32-bit software, at best, as an 800MHz solution. It has a large die, it's
expensive and it's slow."
Itanium is expected to launch around the middle of 2000, more than a year
earlier than Sledgehammer.
Sledgehammer is Sanders' last project before handing over the reins at
AMD to former Motorola executive, Hector de Ruiz.
ZDNet's Eye2Eye: interview with Jerry Sanders will be published in full
on Wednesday. |
