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Technology Stocks : Intel Corporation (INTC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: StockMan who wrote (56333)	5/29/1998 9:47:00 PM
From: Tony Viola	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 186894

My take on the Merced delay. I don't like it either. However, this development project is probably the most ambitious in the history of the computer industry, including mainframes. It has a completely new architecture, by far more complex than any chip CPU has had before; new operating systems, compilers, and on and on. Nowadays, companies don't take on major new architecture, new software, and oh, I forgot, new technology (0.18 micron) at the same time. They will alternate, with new architecture, same technology, then same architecture, new technology. Much less risk. With three major aspects changing at once, vs. the one I've alluded to by mainframe companies, a schedule for Merced could be construed as having roughly three times the risk. Maybe, with compounding factors among the three, it's even worse. Anyway, these types of projects, (huge) no matter how carefully planned and project managed by the best, and with the best technical people, always slip about six months per 18 months, minimum. This latest delay is about that: what was looking like about 18 months to go, is now about 24. Maybe do the next 18 month schedule, factoring in every possible contingency/delay, and then add six months, but don't tell the engineers. Tony