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| Intel produces one chip with two 'brains' |
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| BY REUTERS |
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| [San Francisco | Reuters News Service, 8 February 2005] -
Intel on Monday said it had completed initial production runs of a chip with two processors-in-one, setting the stage for mainstream marketing of PCs with two processor "brains."Intel's announcement, while expected, came as a rival consortium made up of Sony, IBM and Toshiba announced details of their "Cell" processor based on similar so-called "multi-core" technology.Intel, the world's largest microchip maker, said in a statement it would add two so-called dual-core products to its Pentium family of chips during the second quarter, including the Pentium processor Extreme Edition.Dual- and multi-core products include two or more processors on a single chip of silicon. That speeds up computing, although software must be rewritten to take full advantage of the extra power.Sony is expected to use Cell starting next year to build its much-anticipated Playstation 3 video system.Intel's Pentium Extreme Edition also will include hyper-threading technology -- a separate technology Intel began offering three years ago.With hyper-threading and dual cores, Intel chips can process four software calculations simultaneously by efficiently using resources that otherwise would sit idle.The ability to process up to four software "threads" simultaneously gives computers the impression that it has four separate processors with which to process data. Multi-threading increases performance and responsiveness on demanding tasks.Intel is in a race with rival Advanced Micro Devices to see who can be first to market with dual-core or multi-core technology.Intel said it has more than 10 multi-core related projects under way.(Additional reporting by Eric Auchard)
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| Reuters News Service |
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| Copyright 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication and redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. |
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