To: Paul Engel who wrote (100281 ) 3/5/2000 10:47:00 AM From: Proud_Infidel Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 186894
Report: AMD Heats Up Chip War 20:34EST 03/04/00 HOUSTON (AP) -- Aiming to beat rival Intel Corp. to the starting gate, Advanced Micro Devices has moved up the launch of its 1-gigahertz computer chip, the Houston Chronicle reported Saturday. Industry sources told the Chronicle that the Sunnyvale, Calif., chip maker will begin selling its 1-GHz Athlon on Monday. One gigahertz means a chip could process 1 billion bits of information per second. The newspaper quoted the sources as saying AMD decided to move up its announcement after Intel announced plans to beginning selling its own 1-GHz Pentium III chip on Wednesday. Both companies' announcements are ahead of schedule as they race to be first out with the fastest personal computer chips. Both AMD, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., and Intel, of Santa Clara, Calif., had originally said their gigahertz processors wouldn't be launched until midyear. An AMD spokesman would not deny or confirm the Chronicle's report Saturday. "All that we've said is that we're going to be announcing our gigahertz (processor) in March,' Stacey Cochran said from AMD headquarters in Sunnyvale. AMD, which currently sells the fastest PC processor available in an 850-MHz Athlon, also will announce 900- and 950-MHz versions of the Athlon. Personal computer makers that use AMD Athlon chips are expected to announce systems using the new processors Monday, the Chronicle said. A source told the newspaper that Gateway will sell its 1-GHz systems starting at $2,999. The gigahertz chip won't be the fastest for long. Intel said in February that its "Willamette' chip will run at 1.5 gigahertz. Willamette is slated to go on sale this fall.