Intel Demos First 1 Gigahertz Server
In a keynote presentation delivered at Compaq Innovate Forum last month, Intel Corp.’s president and CEO Craig Barrett demonstrated a 1.007 gigahertz server. The display was the first-ever public viewing of a system built on an Intel Pentium processor running at that clock frequency.
HOUSTON -- In a keynote presentation delivered at Compaq Innovate Forum last month, Intel Corp.’s president and CEO Craig Barrett demonstrated a 1.007 gigahertz server. The display was the first-ever public viewing of a system built on an Intel Pentium processor running at that clock frequency.
The machine, built atop a prototype Pentium III processor, was used to demonstrate electronic commerce operations using Wintel technology. The demonstration was only intended to show feasibility: the processor itself is not available. Barrett did not offer a deliver date for a 1 GHz system.
He did, however, promise the release of a new 550-MHz Pentium III processor before the end of June, which will be followed by a 600 MHz P-III Xeon processor during the second half of 1999.
Barrett also told the attendees of the annual Compaq customer and business partner conference of a dual-voltage, dual-frequency processor intended for use in laptop machines. Code-named Geyserville, the processor is expected to be available in the third quarter of this year. The demonstration laptop machine used to display the dual-frequency processor ran on a 600 MHz mode while plugged into AC power and switched to 500 MHz or lower while running on battery power. The supply voltages used by the logic circuits also drop down to lower levels while in battery mode.
The frequency and voltage switching enables the system to maximize power conservation while in disconnected mode. Barrett says the intent is to provide laptop users with power equivalent to that available to desktop users. Laptop systems have traditionally lagged behind performance levels that desktop systems deliver due to power consumption problems. "In this instance, you'll get the convenience of a laptop and the performance of a standard desktop PC," Barrett said.
In other news, Barrett announced that seven different operating systems, including Windows NT, are now booting aboard simulation systems that emulate the Merced instruction set. He said Merced processors are expected to be available in sample quantities later this year, with production copies scheduled to ship during 2000. The follow-on to Merced, code-named McKinley, will ship samples late in 2000, with production slated for 2001.