Intel Looks to Solidify Quad-Core Lead

SAN FRANCISCO – Intel gave the first public demonstration of a prototype
system running on its quad-core “Tigerton” platform at a media briefing
here today.

Intel already plans to release its first quad-core
processor (codenamed Clovertown), the Xeon 5300, next month for mainstream
servers and workstations.

Multi-core  processors feature more than one
computing core or “brain” on a chip. A quad-core processor has four cores.

Tigerton, also in the Xeon family, isn’t due out until the third quarter
of 2007. Based on Intel’s Core microarchitecture, Tigerton is designed for
multiprocessor (MP) servers and will be part of Intel’s Xeon MP 7000 series.

The system Intel showed included four Tigerton processors for a total of
16 cores. The high performance system also has dedicated high-speed interconnects between each processor and the chipset for increased performance. Intel said it isn’t releasing any pricing at this time.

Tigerton’s platform chipset, codenamed Caneland, uses FB-DIMM
in MP for the first time, according to Intel,  with four memory interconnects for better throughput and
capacity.

Intel competitor AMD  isn’t expected to ship its
first quad-core systems till 2007. AMD’s Opteron processor uses a direct
connect memory architecture that has some advantages to Intel’s approach,
which requires a frontside bus . On the Caneland
platform, each processor socket has its own direct link to the FSB.

Analyst Nathan Brookwood said Intel uses a lot of intelligent caching and
a “complicated, expensive motherboard” in its quad-core design, to achieve
high performance.

“This is the first industry standard quad-core MP server,” said Steve
Smith, Vice President and Director of Intel’s Desktop Enterprise Group.
Before the end of next year, Smith said Intel plans to offer quad-core
throughout the Xeon line by then end of next year.

In a demo, Intel’s prototype system rendered a 3D image that took 68 seconds to display using one of the processor threads, but when all
four cores and 16 threads were employed it only took 3.8 seconds to render.
Similarly, Intel showed a complex credit risk analysis simulation that took
only a few seconds to complete.

Multi-core processors will speed up application and system software
performance, Intel and others are investing in multi-core software development tools to fully exploit the chip’s capabilities.

Smith said the Tigerton design was the optimum approach for Intel, and
claimed it was more “balanced” than what AMD has planned. He also was
bullish on Intel’s head start in quad-core.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we ship a million units [Cloverton and
Tigerton combined) before our competitor ships a single quad-core,” said
Smith.

AMD couldn’t be reached for comment.

Brookwood acknowledged Intel has a healthy head start in quad-core, but
from the technical briefings he’s had, thinks AMD will be able to offer a
less expensive alternative when it does ship.

“AMD’s chipsets aren’t nearly as complex as Intel’s,” Brookwood told
. “They can use less expensive components with less
cache and motherboards that don’t require as many layers as Intel’s.

“Both companies are leveraging their R&D investments in different ways.”