Intel beats Sun, IBM and MIPS processors
Silicon | at | by Mike
The new Xeon MP processors, code-named Foster, come in 1.4-, 1.5- and 1.6-GHz speed grades and are said to be faster than competitive RISC chips from IBM, MIPS Technologies, and Sun Microsystems, according to Intel of Santa Clara, Calif. Intel's Xeon MP chips are geared for 32-bit, "multiprocessor" computer systems, such as 4-, 6-, and 8-way (or higher) servers. Compaq, Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens, Hewlett Packard, IBM, NEC, Tyan and Unisys are expected to ship platforms, based on the new Xeon MP processors, according to Intel.
Previously, Intel's fastest chip in the "multiprocessor" segment was a 900-MHz, Pentium III processor. But the new Pentium 4-based Xeon MP chips are 20-40% faster than its Pentium III lines, said Lisa Hambrick, director of enterprise product marketing at Intel.
The new offerings are aimed to expand Intel's 64% market share in the "multiprocessor" MPU space, according to Hambrick. In this arena, Intel claims its chips are faster than competitive RISC processors, including IBM Corp.'s PowerPC and Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Sparc MPU, she said. "We already outperformed Sun's machines [with the Pentium III processors]," she told SBN.