SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Intel Corp. here today announced an "early access" program for the company's multitasking technology--a move that will pave the way for the long-awaited introduction of its new Xeon microprocessor line.
Intel rolled out the so-called "Early Access Program" (EAP), which will give developers the ability to quickly devise software products, based on the company's "Hyper-Threading Technology." Introduced last year, the company's "Hyper-Threading Technology" allows multithreaded operating systems and applications to view a single microprocessor as if it were two logical processors, thereby enabling a 30% performance boost in systems (see Aug. 28 story ).
The program, designed to accelerate the development of this technology in the market, will prepare software vendors and system manufacturers for the upcoming announcement of the company's first microprocessors, based on this multitasking technology.
Initially, Intel will bundle the multitasking technology on a pair of processors, including the code-named "Prestonia" and "Foster MP" chips. These two chips are part of the company's Xeon family of processors, which are 32-bit MPUs geared for high-end workstations, servers, and multiprocessors.
Intel has been talking about "Prestonia" and "Foster MP" for months. But the chips will be officially introduced "in a few weeks," said Shannon Poulin, marketing manager for the Santa Clara-based company.
Based on Intel's 32-bit Pentium 4 microprocessor architecture, "Prestonia" is a 2.2-GHz chip geared for dual-processor systems. The 0.13-micron device works in conjunction with Intel's E7500 chip set, which supports the 200-MHz version of the double-data-rate (DDR) SDRAM memory standard.
The "Foster MP" processor is also based on the Pentium 4 architecture, but this 0.18-micron, 1.6-GHz chip is geared for high-end systems, such as eight-way servers. It works in conjunction with third-party chip sets from Broadcom, IBM, and others.
The chips also include Intel's new multitasking technology. In fact, the company's "Hyper-Threading Technology" will become a standard feature on all future Xeon chips, Poulin told SBN.
Besides "Prestonia" and "Foster MP," the company is also expected to incorporate the technology in another Xeon chip, code-named "Gallatin." Targeted for the second half of 2002, "Gallatin" is a 0.13-micron device designed for four- and eight-way systems.
The technology is expected to be used for the code-named "Nocona" processor, which is due out in 2003, according to Intel. There are no plans to use the multitasking technology for the company's 64-bit processors--yet, according to Poulin.
Meanwhile, Intel's EAP program will accelerate the development of systems, based on Xeon and the multitasking technology, said Melissa Laird, director of services and support for the program. "This is an 'early access' program for software developers," she told SBN.
The EAP consists of several components for software developers. For an annual fee, developers will receive a package that includes a remote access to Intel's Xeon processor-based systems, and on-line support and training.
The EAP fee can also be used as a credit toward the lease of a development system or toward the purchase of software tools from Intel. These tools include beta versions of Intel's C/C++ and Fortran compilers for Windows and Linux 6.0.
The "early access" is available for an annual fee of $500. Developers can now enroll in the EAP program via Intel's Web site.
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