Intel introduces server chip

2006-06-27 12:00

San Francisco - Intel Corp introduced its latest microprocessor for server computers on Monday, one of a trio of new chips the world's biggest semi-conductor maker is counting on to regain market share lost to Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

The new chip, the Intel Xeon 5100, is the company's answer to AMD's Opteron processor, whose performance and power management have stolen share from Intel for more than three years.

Intel says the new Xeon more than doubles the performance of its previous top-of-the-line server chip while drawing 40% less power.

"We're back in a position we're used to being in and that's undeniable leadership," Intel Vice President Tom Kilroy told analysts and reporters.

The Xeon 5100 is the first chip to come to market using a new blueprint, or microarchitecture, Santa Clara-based Intel designed from scratch to help lower the energy consumption of servers and PCs.

As businesses' computing needs have grown over the past several years, power consumption has emerged as one of the chief costs of running large data centres.

Greg Brandeau, vice president of technology for Disney's Pixar Animation Studios, the maker of Toy Story, Finding Nemo and other computer-generated movies, said one of the top challenges of his job is acquiring enough computing power to keep up with his company's growing needs.

Cars, the latest Pixar film that opened earlier this month, required 300 times as much computing power as any previous production, he said.

Loaded with new features

Brandeau said he has run Pixar software on the new Intel chips and found they gave 30% better performance while using half as much power as older Xeons, which he used to make Cars.

"The performance is really stunning," he said.

Intel said the new chips, which feature two computing cores, or "brains" on a single chip, also outperformed AMD's top Opteron product on more than 25 benchmarks commonly used to compare competing computers.

Besides using a new microarchitecture, the Xeons are loaded with new features designed to boost power efficiency and add new functions, Kilroy said.

One allows the chip to draw less current by shutting off parts when they're not needed. Another feature adds so-called virtualisation capabilities to the chip so administrators have more control over how tasks are doled out to various parts of their networks.

The new Xeons are the first of three new products Intel is rolling out in a bid to regain market share lost to AMD.

In late July, Intel is expected to roll out a new desktop processor based on the new microarchitecture, dubbed "Core". Intel has claimed the Core 2 Duo, which will feature two computing cores, will close the performance gap between its current desktop offerings and AMD's Athlon 64 processor.

A third release for notebook computers is expected in August, analysts say.

On the net:

www.intelstartyourengines.com

- AP