Intel demos world's first 4-GHz and 90-nm desktop processors at IDF
By Mark LaPedus
Semiconductor Business News
(02/27/02 12:48 p.m. EST)
SAN FRANCISCO -- During the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) here today, Intel Corp. gave a sneak preview of its future desktop microprocessor lines, including a 4-GHz chip as well as a 90-nm (0.090-micron) product called "Prescott."
Intel demonstrated the world's first 4-GHz desktop processor, based on its Pentium 4 processor and Netburst architecture. The chip is twice as fast as the company's current Pentium 4 line, which is a 0.13-micron chip that runs at 2.2 GHz.
"This is first the 4-GHz silicon from our manufacturing line," declared Louis Burns, vice president and co-general manager of the Desktop Platforms Group at Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel.
The 4-GHz chip is not expected to ship for some time, but the product proves that Intel can scale its current Pentium 4 architecture, Burns said in a keynote address here today.
Burns also disclosed that Intel is working on Prescott, the company's first processor based on its 90-nm (0.09-micron) process technology. Intel will ship Prescott in the second half of 2003, Burns said. Intel will shortly announce its 90-nm process for use in developing higher-speed chips (see today's story ).
It will also bring its multitasking technology to the commercial desktop as well. The technology, dubbed Hyper-Threading, enables a processor to act as two MPUs via software and other means.
This week, Intel rolled out Prestonia, a Pentium 4 processor for servers. Prestonia is the first chip that incorporates the Hyper-Threading technology (see Feb. 24 story). "We plan to bring Hyper-Threading to the [commercial] desktop," Burns said.
Some analysts believe that Intel could have samples of Prescott by year's end--if not early-2003. But the company is expected to officially launch Prescott by the second quarter of 2003, said analyst Nathan Brookwood of Insight64 of Saratoga, Calif.
In fact, Prescott is critical for Intel, Brookwood said. "Prescott will drive the company's 90-nm process," he said.
Still, Intel faces some challenges with Prescott and its push towards the 90-nm node, pointed out analyst Tony Massimini of Semico Research Corp. in Phoenix. "There are a lot of issues besides cracking up the clock speeds," he said, noting the company faces "noise and EMI issues with the technology. |
