SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- In response to Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s aggressive efforts in the 64-bit microprocessor market, Intel Corp. here today gave a sneak preview of a new, high-end chip line with 500 million transistors.
During a Webcast event here today, Intel disclosed the first public details of its code-named Madison product, a 64-bit processor, based on a 130-nm (0.13-micron) process technology. Madison is a 500-million transistor chip with 6-megabytes of cache.
Madison is the follow-on chip to the company's current 64-bit processor line--code-named McKinley, which is a 220-million transistor chip, based on 180-nm (0.18-micron) technology. McKinley has 3-MB of cache, it was noted.
Intel is currently shipping McKinley to the marketplace. This chip, which is now being called Itanium 2, is the follow-on to the company's first 64-bit processor, dubbed Itanium.
Intel has been talking about Madison and other 64-bit chips for months, but has not disclosed the product details (see Feb. 26 story ).
"We have first silicon for Madison," said Paul Otellini, president and COO at Intel. "This product will ship next year," he said during a Webcast event here today.
The new 64-bit products from Intel will compete against those from its archrival--AMD. It will also compete against chips from IBM, Mips, Sun, and others.
On Wednesday, AMD received a major boost, as Microsoft Inc. endorsed the company's yet-to-be-announced 64-bit microprocessor line, code-named Hammer.
AMD said that the U.S.-based software giant plans to offer versions of its Windows operating system software for Hammer. Microsoft will reportedly also develop future versions of Windows XP for Hammer.
AMD also today announced that it has selected "AMD Opteron" as the brand name for its high-end, 64-bit processor line, code-named SledgeHammer (see April 24 story ).
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