Earlier than scheduled by a few months but still six months behind competitor AMD, the world’s leading chip manufacturer yesterday launched its first dual-core server processor on a single chip.
Shannon Poulin, Intel’s Product Marketing Director, stated that the new Xeon processor, which offers a 50% improvement in performance compared to two single-core chips, will be released in two versions. The first version, operating at 2.8 GHz, is already being distributed by several computer manufacturers, including HP. Meanwhile, the Paxville chip, with a speed of 3.0 GHz, is expected to be launched in the next two months.
Intel had initially planned to offer dual-core Xeon processors at the beginning of this year but postponed the launch to focus on a “more meticulous design.” Nonetheless, AMD believes their major competitor is facing intense competition: “We’ve been settled in our seats and are ready to welcome them to the party that we have been hosting since April,” said Patrick Patla, AMD’s Server Market Director.
Both Intel and AMD have released dual-core processors this year to enhance performance while also reducing power consumption. The second-largest chip manufacturer has focused on servers from the beginning, while Intel started with desktop machines. As a result, the new generation Xeon processors have arrived up to six months later than AMD’s dual-core Opteron. This delay has allowed AMD’s market share to increase from 7.4% in Q1 to 11.2% in Q2.
Currently, Intel holds 88.8% of the x86 server market. The company also intends to release products at prices equal to or lower than single-core server chips. The new Xeon will be priced at $1,043 per unit.
Similarly, regarding dual-core processors for desktop machines, Patla asserts that AMD has built its chips on dual-core technology from the outset, while Intel simply combined existing products.
P.T. (according to AP)
