SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Providing a sneak preview of the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) event later this month, Intel Corp. will attempt to propel itself into the "digital universe." The chip giant is also expected to announce several new products, reportedly including 32-bit Xeon processors for servers, Pentium 4-based mobile chips, and a long-awaited network processor.
The theme of IDF, entitled "Advancing the Digital Universe," will also include a dizzying array of keynotes and technical seminars. IDF will be held in San Francisco from Feb. 25-28.
In one of the major keynotes, Pat Gelsinger, chief technology officer for Intel, will address the means to "expand Moore's Law" into next-generation chip and systems applications. Devised by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, Moore's Laws is a popular semiconductor axiom that says the amount of transistors in a microprocessor will double every 18 months.
In an interview with SBN today, Gelsinger dropped hints about his keynote, saying that semiconductor technology will remain viable for years to come and make its way into new and future applications, like silicon radios, photonics, and so-called ad-hoc networks.
"By moving silicon technology into wireless, sensors, and MEMS (microelectromechanical Systems), we will open up a new category of applications," Gelsinger told SBN.
Meanwhile, in another keynote at IDF, Mike Fister, vice president and general manager of the Enterprise Platform Group, is expected to provide more details of the company's new 64-bit microprocessor, code-named McKinley. During the recent International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco, the company outlined the details of McKinley, but remained mum about another new 64-bit technology, code-named "Yamhill" (see Feb. 4 story ).
"You will see more McKinley than you've ever seen before," Gelsinger said. The company is also expected to show its roadmap for chip sets in the server space, reportedly including the long-awaited Plumas.
The company is also expected to officially unveil its new Xeon processor line, which are designed for servers. The new chips will be bundled with the company's new multitasking technology (see Feb. 6 story ).
On the PC front, Intel is expected to discuss more details about its yet-to-be-announced mobile Pentium 4 processors, according to the company. However, some system houses in Taiwan have already launched notebook PCs, based on the Pentium 4 processor (see Feb. 11 story ).
On the communications front, Sean Maloney, executive vice president and general manager of the Communications Group, in yet another keynote address is expected to discuss building blocks for the "modular Internet infrastructure."
As part of those building blocks, Intel will reportedly roll out a 10-gigabits-per-second network processor, which was previewed at last year's IDF. The new IXP processor will use the next-generation Xscale core, based on the StrongARM RISC processor (see Aug. 30 story ).
The company is also expected to roll out a new I/O chip as well. The new 10-Gbps network processor and I/O chip "is only a small piece of the introduction," said Eric Mentzer, chief technology officer in Intel's Communications Group. "It's a top-to-bottom lineup."
Last week, Intel rolled out the first in a family of Xscale-based products for handheld devices (see Feb. 11 story ).
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