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"Intel's Itanium architecture is now well established as an outstanding performer for high-performance computing,".. Penguin Computing Launching Intel Itanium Platforms; New Itanium-Based Cluster and Server Products Demonstrated at LinuxWorld Expo
January 21, 2004 09:01
Penguin Computing Launching Intel Itanium Platforms; New Itanium-Based Cluster and Server Products Demonstrated at LinuxWorld Expo
NEW YORK, Jan 21, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Penguin Computing(R) today announced that it will launch servers and systems based on 64-bit Intel(R) Itanium(R) 2 processors in Q2 2004. The new rack-mounted Itanium-based products are being demonstrated in Penguin Computing's booth at LinuxWorld Expo (Booth #865). Full product details will be announced when the products have completed Penguin Computing's rigorous Linux(R) compatibility testing and are ready to ship.
Penguin Computing's new Itanium-based platforms will be targeted at both the server market and the high performance Linux cluster market. In a related announcement, Scyld, a subsidiary of Penguin Computing, today announced that an upcoming release of Scyld Beowulf(TM), the leading second-generation cluster operating system, will support 64-bit Itanium 2 platforms in its upcoming release.
"Intel's Itanium architecture is now well established as an outstanding performer for high-performance computing, and we believe it will be a great complement to our very successful Relion-brand systems based on Intel Pentium(R) 4 and Intel Xeon(TM) processors," said James Carrington, director of product marketing at Penguin Computing. "Penguin Computing is taking a leadership position in supplying scalable high performance Linux-based enterprise computing platforms utilizing Itanium's 64-bit computing capability."
"Intel explicitly developed IA-64 for those customers requiring high-performance computing and enterprise platforms," said Lisa Graff, director, Itanium Group, Intel Corporation, "and companies like Penguin Computing, which serves the high-performance markets Linux cluster and server markets are ideally suited to take advantage of the growth in Itanium-based solutions."
About Penguin Computing
Penguin Computing is the leading innovator of highly scalable Linux cluster, server and workstation platforms based on open standards hardware and software. Scyld, a Penguin subsidiary, develops Scyld Beowulf(TM), the leading 2nd-generation cluster operating system. The company's extensive customer base includes Fortune 1000 companies, educational institutions, and government agencies. Founded in 1998, Penguin Computing is headquartered in San Francisco, California. For more information, please visit Penguin Computing at http://www.penguincomputing.com and Scyld at http://www.scyld.com.
Penguin Computing is a registered trademark of Penguin Computing, Inc. Scyld Beowulf is a trademark of Scyld Computing Corporation. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Intel and Itanium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
SOURCE: Penguin Computing
Penguin Computing
James Carrington, 415-358-2607
jcarrington@penguincomputing.com
or
Text 100 PR
Stacy Perry, 415-593-8484
stacyp@text100.com
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"The question is: unless a dividend is meaningful, why bother?"
All dividends are meaningful.
Some are more meaningful than others.
So..just what does AMD pay you to hold their stock?
"now that Intel is no longer a growth stock."
AMD lost money for 9 straight quarters - and managed to eke out a measley, paltry $43 million profit in the best quarter for semiconductor manufacturers in over 3 years...and that qualifies AMD is what... a growth stock?
I thought AMD moved their break even revenue point to $800 million - and then up to $1 billion after that spansion merger.
Why did AMD only post a $43 million profit when their sales hit $1.2 billion?
Shouldn't they have had a $153 million profit?
"To earn $1 dividend you would need 25 shares ~$800. "
And how much does AMD pay you to own AMD shares?
"The flash business is based on long-term contracts. It is clear that AMD can operate break-even on flash for this year, no matter what."
AMD..flash..long term contracts?
Just like in 2001 - when all the Droids talked about AMD's long term flash contracts....then AMD started suing their customers - Alcatel was the first - for reneging on those "contracts".
AMD went on to rack up a $58 Million loss for that year.
"Thank you for calling Michael's Computers - Michael speaking. Can I take your order please?"
"There's another A64 roadmap table:"
Nice table. Looks like AMD's 0.09 micron program slipped another 3 months - with the earliest device delivery date now in Q4 2004 - or is that another 6 month slip?
Oh well, a slip is a slip is a slip...and they do add up - don't they?
Centrino - still not pulling its weight...?
January 12, 2004 15:41
Systemax Announces New $899 Notebook Featuring Intel Centrino Mobile Technology; Lowest Priced Centrino Notebook On the Market Today
Combines Affordability with Wireless Functionality and Long Lasting Battery Life
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., Jan 12, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Systemax (NYSE: SYX), a leading manufacturer and distributor of PCs and related computer products for businesses, has announced a new groundbreaking $899 price (after $100 rebate) on its Pursuit(TM) 4000 notebook featuring Intel(R)'s Centrino(TM) mobile technology platform. The new price makes it the lowest-priced Centrino based notebook available on the market today.
The Pursuit 4000 notebook has a 14" XGA base with an Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor for superior performance and a thin, lightweight design (as low as 4.3 lbs). The built-in Centrino platform empowers users with its Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 802.11b connectivity and a battery life that can extend up to a remarkable 4+ hours. At its new $899 price, the Pursuit 4000 represents the best value in portable computers available on the market.
"Corporate business professionals and 'road warriors' require the convenience and mobile power of Intel's Centrino platform but should not have to bust their budget in order to get it," said Sean Aryai, Director of Marketing, Systemax. "That's why the new Systemax Pursuit 4000 is the ideal portability solution. It provides the four plus hour battery life and integrated wireless capabilities of the revolutionary Centrino platform plus a host of other standard features to help manage the challenges of being on the road. It's an unbeatable value."
About the Pursuit 4000
The new Pursuit 4000 notebook features a brilliant 14" XGA Active Matrix screen display and 64MB graphics for exceptional resolution. It also boasts a striking blue color with blue status lights, offering style in addition to performance. Additional features include:
-- 128MB DDR SDRAM
-- 20GB Ultra ATA Notebook Hard Drive
-- CDROM Drive
-- Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition
-- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless Network Connection 802.11b
-- CA eTrust 7.0 Anti-Virus with free lifetime definitions
-- Standard One Year Warranty
All Systemax notebooks and desktop PCs are custom configurable.
The $100 rebate coupon is included with the system. The Systemax Pursuit(TM) series is available at www.globalcomputer.com, www.dartek.com and www.tigerdirect.com.
About Systemax
Systemax Inc. (www.systemax.com) has developed an integrated system of branded e-commerce web sites, direct mail catalogs, and relationship marketing to sell PCs, related computer products and industrial products to businesses in North America and Europe. With annual sales of more than $1.5 billion, Systemax is a Fortune 1000 company. Product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
Forward-looking statement: This press release contains forward-looking statements about the Company's performance. These statements are based on management's estimates, assumptions and projections and are not guarantees of future performance. The Company assumes no obligation to update these statements. Actual results may differ materially from results expressed or implied in these statements as the result of risks, uncertainties and other factors including, but not limited to: (a) unanticipated variations in sales volume, (b) economic conditions and exchange rates, (c) actions by competitors, (d) the continuation of key vendor relationships, (e) the ability to maintain satisfactory loan agreements with lenders, (f) risks associated with the delivery of merchandise to customers utilizing common carriers, (g) the operation of the Company's management information systems, and (h) unanticipated legal and administrative proceedings. Please refer to the Forward Looking Statements section contained in Item 7 of the Company's Form 10-K for a more detailed explanation of the inherent limitations in such forward-looking statements.
SOURCE: Systemax
Systemax Inc.
Sean Aryai, 516-608-3000
or
Editorial:
Publicis Dialog
Tom Nolan, 212-279-6935
tom.nolan@publicis-usa.com
or
Mario Almonte, 212-279-6350
mario.almonte@publicis-mail.com
Customize your Business Wire news & multimedia to match your needs.
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Copyright (C) 2004 Business Wire. All rights reserved.
Wasn't Systemax one of AMD's pet rocks?
January 12, 2004 15:41
Systemax Announces New $899 Notebook Featuring Intel Centrino Mobile Technology; Lowest Priced Centrino Notebook On the Market Today
Combines Affordability with Wireless Functionality and Long Lasting Battery Life
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., Jan 12, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Systemax (NYSE: SYX), a leading manufacturer and distributor of PCs and related computer products for businesses, has announced a new groundbreaking $899 price (after $100 rebate) on its Pursuit(TM) 4000 notebook featuring Intel(R)'s Centrino(TM) mobile technology platform. The new price makes it the lowest-priced Centrino based notebook available on the market today.
The Pursuit 4000 notebook has a 14" XGA base with an Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor for superior performance and a thin, lightweight design (as low as 4.3 lbs). The built-in Centrino platform empowers users with its Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 802.11b connectivity and a battery life that can extend up to a remarkable 4+ hours. At its new $899 price, the Pursuit 4000 represents the best value in portable computers available on the market.
"Corporate business professionals and 'road warriors' require the convenience and mobile power of Intel's Centrino platform but should not have to bust their budget in order to get it," said Sean Aryai, Director of Marketing, Systemax. "That's why the new Systemax Pursuit 4000 is the ideal portability solution. It provides the four plus hour battery life and integrated wireless capabilities of the revolutionary Centrino platform plus a host of other standard features to help manage the challenges of being on the road. It's an unbeatable value."
About the Pursuit 4000
The new Pursuit 4000 notebook features a brilliant 14" XGA Active Matrix screen display and 64MB graphics for exceptional resolution. It also boasts a striking blue color with blue status lights, offering style in addition to performance. Additional features include:
-- 128MB DDR SDRAM
-- 20GB Ultra ATA Notebook Hard Drive
-- CDROM Drive
-- Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition
-- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless Network Connection 802.11b
-- CA eTrust 7.0 Anti-Virus with free lifetime definitions
-- Standard One Year Warranty
All Systemax notebooks and desktop PCs are custom configurable.
The $100 rebate coupon is included with the system. The Systemax Pursuit(TM) series is available at www.globalcomputer.com, www.dartek.com and www.tigerdirect.com.
About Systemax
Systemax Inc. (www.systemax.com) has developed an integrated system of branded e-commerce web sites, direct mail catalogs, and relationship marketing to sell PCs, related computer products and industrial products to businesses in North America and Europe. With annual sales of more than $1.5 billion, Systemax is a Fortune 1000 company. Product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
Forward-looking statement: This press release contains forward-looking statements about the Company's performance. These statements are based on management's estimates, assumptions and projections and are not guarantees of future performance. The Company assumes no obligation to update these statements. Actual results may differ materially from results expressed or implied in these statements as the result of risks, uncertainties and other factors including, but not limited to: (a) unanticipated variations in sales volume, (b) economic conditions and exchange rates, (c) actions by competitors, (d) the continuation of key vendor relationships, (e) the ability to maintain satisfactory loan agreements with lenders, (f) risks associated with the delivery of merchandise to customers utilizing common carriers, (g) the operation of the Company's management information systems, and (h) unanticipated legal and administrative proceedings. Please refer to the Forward Looking Statements section contained in Item 7 of the Company's Form 10-K for a more detailed explanation of the inherent limitations in such forward-looking statements.
SOURCE: Systemax
Systemax Inc.
Sean Aryai, 516-608-3000
or
Editorial:
Publicis Dialog
Tom Nolan, 212-279-6935
tom.nolan@publicis-usa.com
or
Mario Almonte, 212-279-6350
mario.almonte@publicis-mail.com
Customize your Business Wire news & multimedia to match your needs.
Get breaking news from companies and organizations worldwide.
Logon for FREE today at www.BusinessWire.com.
Copyright (C) 2004 Business Wire. All rights reserved.
"Intel is in the top 10 organizations receiving most US patents"
We now know why AMD isn't blowing their "Patents Granted" smoke up the derriere of the media - AMD dropped well behind Intel and didn't even ,ake the top 10 list.
I guess Patents are no longer important at AMD - or else, they can't afford the patent filing fees - he he he....
"IMO it would be ludicrous for Sun to buy that number of
devices to sit and depreciate in a stockroom somewhere.."
Any outlandish claim for AMD shipments is perfectly acceptable among the AMDfaithful - if it somehow allows AMD to reach their "magical" shipping goals.
Intel and Microsoft are Making Nice in their joint program development for home entertainment and Portable Media Centers.
"Portable Media Centers are being developed on the Intel(R) XScale(R) technology reference design. "
January 07, 2004 22:01
Leading Digital Entertainment Companies Announce Support for Portable Media Centers at CES 2004
Bill Gates Unveils First Working Portable Media Centers
LAS VEGAS, Jan 07, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via Comtex/ -- Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) tonight announced at the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that leading digital entertainment companies CinemaNow Inc., EMI Music and Napster LLC(R) will support Windows Mobile(TM) software for Portable Media Centers, indicating that the new class of device will change the way people enjoy movies, recorded television, photos and music. In addition, in his keynote address at CES, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates unveiled and demonstrated the first working Portable Media Centers from Creative Labs Inc. (a subsidiary of Creative Technology Ltd.).
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
"Consumers increasingly want to have their media with them wherever they are. It does you little good to have music, videos or pictures at home when the majority of time you want to use or share them is when you are away," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst for the Enderle Group. "Portable Media Centers, particularly when they are coupled with PC-based Media Centers, download services, personal video recorders and digital still/movie cameras, will change the way people acquire, use and share their multimedia experiences. As a result, Portable Media Centers are expected to be one of the hottest emerging products in the fall of 2004."
"We've seen an explosion in recent years in the way that people use their PCs for enjoying digital movies, recorded television, photos and music," said Todd Warren, general manager of the Embedded Devices Group at Microsoft. "Companies like CinemaNow, Creative Labs, EMI Music and Napster are helping us deliver on consumers' increasing desire to transfer those experiences quickly and securely to portable devices to enjoy anywhere, at any time."
Portable Media Centers, which will be available in the second half of 2004, are being demonstrated at CES in Microsoft booth No. CEN8323 and Creative Labs' booth No. CEN13615.
"Devices like the Creative Zen Portable Media Center demonstrate that Microsoft is making great strides in ushering in a new era of digital entertainment," said Sim Wong Hoo, chief executive officer at Creative Technology Ltd. "In minutes, people can transfer video, music and photos from a PC, allowing them to enjoy their entertainment in new and exciting ways."
High-Quality Video
Portable Media Centers are the answer for any traveler who can't stand to watch one more in-flight movie. To help ease the pain, CinemaNow will make available titles from its library of more than 4,200 feature films, for rent or "download-to-own." The latter option is a new capability that will allow people to purchase and download a permanent copy of a digital file for unlimited playback on Portable Media Centers. The Portable Media Centers' easy-to-view screen takes advantage of the quality of Windows Media(R) 9 Series.
New smart sync technology makes transfer from Windows(R) XP-based PCs to Portable Media Centers fast and easy, and the small file sizes of Windows Media Video (WMV) let users travel with more videos, pictures and music than is possible on other formats, allowing them to store and play hundreds of hours' worth of high-quality audio and video on the go. In addition, when coupled with Windows XP Media Center Edition, Portable Media Centers will allow people to easily and quickly record and transfer their favorite television programs and enjoy them on the go.
"People are hungry for an easy way to make movies as portable as digital music, and Microsoft has figured out how to make that a reality for everyone," said Curt Marvis, chief executive officer of CinemaNow. "We will make our service available to people who own a Portable Media Center because we share the belief that a revolution in portable digital entertainment can only happen in an open environment where the protection of intellectual property is a priority."
CinemaNow holds the Internet distribution rights to the most extensive and comprehensive library of feature films, from more than 150 licensors including 20th Century Fox Film Corp., The Walt Disney Co., MGM Inc., Miramax Film Corp., Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. and others. CinemaNow films are available on a pay-per-view, subscription basis, and its new download-to-own capability will allow people to buy the hottest new movie, transfer it securely to Portable Media Centers and view it forever.
More Than Music on the Go
Windows Mobile-based Portable Media Centers' support for Windows Media Audio 9 (WMA) and MP3 digital media formats will enhance the way people enjoy their digital entertainment, allowing them to bring their entire world of music on the road -- music, album art, playlists, song ratings and, in the future, music videos. Because Portable Media Centers work with the widest variety of music download services, people will be able to easily transfer content using existing subscriptions with companies such as Napster.
Napster, which became the first music service to announce support of Portable Media Centers at launch, offers the world's largest collection of digital music, with a personalized experience designed so music fans can easily access tracks at a low price. Napster's support of Portable Media Centers ensures that customers will have access to all their purchased music away from their Windows XP-based PC. In the future, downloads of promotional music videos will give consumers an even better portable entertainment experience.
"Portable Media Centers will give Napster's library of music tracks an even broader audience," said Mike Bebel, president and chief operating officer of Napster. "Between our music service and the potential for a downloadable music video service, Napster will help artists be heard and even seen on portable devices, transforming the world of music yet again."
Subscription services aren't the only entertainment companies getting behind Portable Media Centers. At CES, EMI Music became the first major label to announce support of Portable Media Centers.
"We're in the digital entertainment age, and EMI is committed to providing the best digital music available to people on the Internet," said Ted Cohen, senior vice president of D3 -- Digital Development & Distribution -- at EMI Music. "Portable Media Centers will allow our customers to have secure access to their music and videos from EMI Music any time and anywhere."
Using Windows Media Audio and Video 9 Series compression technology, consumers can quickly and easily transfer up to 175 hours of video, 10,000 songs or as many as 100,000 pictures* -- enough to chronicle a lifetime -- to Portable Media Centers from their Windows XP-based PC.
The Best Consumer Electronics Partners
Device manufacturers Creative Labs, iRiver International, Samsung Electronics, SANYO Electric Co. Ltd. and ViewSonic Corp. have agreed to build Portable Media Centers. Working prototypes from Creative Labs can be seen at CES.
More Access to Digital Media at Home and on the Go
One of the key pillars in Gates' keynote address was the announcement of Windows Media Center Extender Technologies, software that will power a new generation of devices on which people can access their Windows XP Media Center Edition PC-based digital entertainment -- recorded television shows, photos, movies and music -- in more places around the home, including via set-top boxes, Xbox(R) video game systems and televisions. Windows Mobile-based Portable Media Centers help extend this experience by allowing people to enjoy that same entertainment anywhere and at any time.
Windows Mobile software for Portable Media Centers is built on Windows CE .NET, the real-time operating system designed to power the next generation of smart mobile and small-footprint devices. Portable Media Centers are being developed on the Intel(R) XScale(R) technology reference design.
About Windows Mobile Software for Portable Media Centers
Windows Mobile software for Portable Media Centers (http://www.microsoft.com/portablemediacenters/) is the platform that will power the next generation of portable digital media entertainment devices. As part of the Windows Mobile-based device family, Portable Media Centers make it easy for people on the go to enjoy their Windows XP-based digital videos, home movies, recorded television shows, photos, music and album art. Expected to be available in 2004 from Creative Labs, iRiver International, SANYO, Samsung Electronics and ViewSonic, 40GB devices will be able to hold up to 175 hours of video, 10,000 songs and as many as 100,000 pictures -- enough to chronicle a lifetime.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.
* Depending on bit rate and /resolution; based on Portable Media Centers with a 40GB hard drive.
Microsoft, Windows Mobile, Windows Media, Windows and Xbox are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
Photo : NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO
press only, Sarah Warrick, +1-206-419-8681 or
swarrick@webershandwick.com, or Tina Conley, +1-253-261-3724 or
tconley@webershandwick.com, both of Weber Shandwick, for Microsoft; or EMEA
press: Weber Shandwick, +44 207-067-0000, edgemeapr@webershandwick.com
http://www.prnewswire.com
Copyright (C) 2004 PR Newswire. All rights reserved.
"AMD 4, 1400+ processor"
Ah...the AMD 4 - another of AMD's wildly successful attempts at branding.
I guess AMD decided to stop "stockpiling" them and dump them into China.
"Later on, SB says ..."
What about SB's data that shows AMD only shipped 5,000 Opterons in Q2 2003, 15,000 in Q3 2003 and only 20,000 (estimated) in Q4 2003?
Looks like AMD's 40,000 Opterons for all of 2003 make Hector and Jerry look plain dumb and silly after claiming the Opteron would outship the Itanium in their first quarter of shipments.
Oh well, they probably don't look any more silly than their predictions of 30% market share by 2001 (2 years since past).
http://www-public.tu-bs.de:8080/~y0005007/ssb.pdf
""(AMD) is probably not the only company that has thought of that idea. I suspect there will be other companies that come out with (it)." "
Doesn't sound like Dell is in any great hurry to jump for AMD's 64 bit solution - does it?
"Why can't you stop with the mutant alien thing?"
AMD fanboys now have a new Mantra:
"By going to 64 bits, these games will be far more realistic, because more complex graphics will be possible. "Now you will be able to blow a hole in the ground and use it as a fox hole," Morris said. "
So AMDroids can whine on and on about "blowing a hole in the ground and use it as a fox hole" - one heckuva thing to do with the power of 64 bits.
AMD, Intel put antivirus tech into chips
By Michael Kanellos
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
http://news.com.com/2100-7355-5137832.html
Story last modified January 8, 2004, 3:22 PM PST
LAS VEGAS--Advanced Micro Devices and Intel plan to soon release technology that will allow processors to stop many attacks before they occur.
Execution Protection by AMD, technology contained in AMD's Athlon 64 chips, prevents a buffer overflow, a common method used to attack computers. A buffer overflow essentially overwhelms a computer's defense systems and then inserts a malicious program in memory that the processor subsequently executes.
With Execution Protection, data in the buffer can only be read and, therefore, is prevented from doing its dirty work, John Morris, director of marketing at AMD, said in an interview Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show here.
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"Now in current processors, any programs that go into the memory overflow can be executed," he said. "With this, the system only allows read-only in the buffer. It will not execute." The malicious program is then disposed harmlessly when the PC is turned off, he said.
The circuitry is already inside existing Athlon 64 chips, but it can't be activated yet. That will occur when Microsoft releases Service Pack 2 for Windows XP early in the second quarter. By then, AMD also will have a catchy marketing name for the technology, Morris said.
Intel is putting a similar technology in Prescott, an enhanced version of the Pentium 4 expected next month, according to computer manufacturers. Intel declined to comment.
Security problems, of course, have become a multibillion-dollar problem and show few signs of abating. These sorts of technologies could undercut one of the more severe headaches out there, Morris said.
A number of damaging worms from last year relied on buffer overflows. Around 50 percent of the Windows security updates from Microsoft in the last two years may have been rendered unnecessary if the technology existed then, according to an analysis by AMD and Microsoft.
Morris said the first full-fledged 64-bit programs for the Athlon 64 will appear this quarter. Ubisoft is slated to release a 64-bit version of "Far Cry" in March, while Epic Games will release a 64-bit version of "Unreal Tournament" in the first quarter.
By going to 64 bits, these games will be far more realistic, because more complex graphics will be possible. "Now you will be able to blow a hole in the ground and use it as a fox hole," Morris said.
"Running on an HP Integrity Superdome server with 64 Intel Itanium 2 1.5 GHz processors with HP-UX 11i v2 and HP StorageWorks VA7100 disk arrays, Oracle Database 10g achieved 49,108 QphH@10000GB at a price performance of $118/QphH@10000GB."
Press Release Source: Oracle Corp.
Oracle(R) Database 10g on HP Integrity Superdome Server Sets World Record For 10 Terabyte Data Warehousing Benchmark
Wednesday January 7, 3:16 pm ET
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ( http://www.oracle.com/tellmemore/?2706878 ) Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL - News) today announced with HP a world record non-clustered TPC-H 10 terabyte benchmark result for Oracle® Database 10g running on an HP Integrity Superdome server with HP-UX, highlighting the companies' ability to satisfy customers' most demanding decision support and data warehousing requirements.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020718/ORCLLOGO )
Running on an HP Integrity Superdome server with 64 Intel Itanium 2 1.5 GHz processors with HP-UX 11i v2 and HP StorageWorks VA7100 disk arrays, Oracle Database 10g achieved 49,108 QphH@10000GB at a price performance of $118/QphH@10000GB.
The single-system result delivers significantly more performance per processor* at less than half the cost per query/hour than the best clustered results from IBM and NCR Teradata, demonstrating that versatile single systems can handle similar workloads of clustered systems at less than half the cost. At the 10-terabyte database size, Oracle Database 10g and the HP Integrity Superdome produced a query/hour performance level per server that is four times faster than IBM's DB2 on the IBM p690. Oracle and HP now hold the world record non-clustered TPC-H results for the three and 10-terabyte scale factors.
In addition, Oracle and HP also hold both the single-system and clustered TPC-C performance records with the only benchmarks ever to surpass one million transactions per minute, demonstrating the power of HP Integrity servers and Oracle Database 10g for both scale-up and scale-out solutions. The records were set utilizing an HP Integrity Superdome server running HP-UX and Oracle Database 10g and by a cluster of HP Integrity rx5670 servers running Linux and Oracle Database 10g.
"Companies with huge data warehousing projects are always searching for a better, faster way to manage and make sense of their high volumes of data," said Richard Sarwal, vice president, Server Performance at Oracle. "Oracle Database 10g in combination with HP Integrity servers enable companies to get excellent performance at a much lower price point than competing products."
"Oracle and HP jointly enable organizations to operate the largest and most complex decision support and data warehousing environments at a price/performance that is less than half of that of competing vendors," said Don Jenkins, vice president Marketing for HP's Business Critical Servers. "The HP Integrity servers again have proven their versatility and exceptional performance characteristics. The same server, the HP Integrity Superdome, that holds the top four TPC-C results on HP-UX, Windows Server 2003, and Linux, has today delivered the highest non-clustered TPC-H result."
About Oracle Database 10g
Oracle Database 10g is designed to be effectively deployed on everything from small servers to the biggest SMP servers and from clusters to enterprise grids. It features automated tuning and management capabilities that make it easy and cost effective to operate. Its unique ability to natively manage all your data from traditional business information to OLAP, to XML documents, to spatial/location information make it the ideal choice to power Online Transaction Processing, Business Intelligence, Data Warehousing, and Content Management applications.
About TPC-H
TPC-H is a decision support benchmark consisting of a suite of business oriented ad-hoc queries and concurrent data modifications. The performance metric is called the TPC-H Composite Query-per-Hour Performance Metric (QphH@Size) and reflects multiple aspects of the capability of the system to process queries. More information is available at http://www.tpc.org .
About Oracle
Oracle is the world's largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com .
Trademarks
Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
* Performance in queries/hour per processor is 767 for HP, 389 for IBM,
and 637 for NCR based on the 10000GB results below.
-- HP Integrity Superdome: 49,104 QphH@10000GB, $118/QphH@10000GB
availability of 3/25/04, 64 CPUs and 1 server. (non clustered)
-- IBM p690: 62,214 QphH@10000GB, $243/QphH@10000GB availability of
5/15/03, 160 CPUs and 5 servers. (clustered)
-- NCR 5230: 81,501QphH@10000GB, $243/QphH@10000GB availability of
12/20/02, 128 CPUs and 64 nodes ( servers). (clustered)
-- Oracle and HP TPC-C cluster and single system results over one
million transactions per minute:
* Sixteen-node HP Integrity rx5670 server cluster, each with four
Intel Itanium 2 1.5-GHz processors running Red Hat Enterprise
Linux AS 3 and Oracle Database 10g with Real Application Clusters
achieved 1,184,893.38 tpmC, at $5.52/tpmC, available 4/30/04.
* HP Integrity Superdome server running HP-UX 11iv2, HP
StorageWorks solutions and Oracle Database 10g Enterprise Edition
achieved 1,008,144.49 tpmC, at $8.33/tpmC, available 3/25/04.
Source: Transaction Processing Council (TPC). For more information on TPC-H and TPC-C benchmarks, please visit, www.tpc.org. TPC is registered trademark by the Transaction Processing Council.
For more information regarding Oracle performance benchmarks, please visit, www.oracle.com/benchmarks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Oracle Corp.
The Itanium advantage:
"Running on an HP Integrity Superdome server with 64 Intel Itanium 2 1.5 GHz processors with HP-UX 11i v2 and HP StorageWorks VA7100 disk arrays, Oracle Database 10g achieved 49,108 QphH@10000GB at a price performance of $118/QphH@10000GB."
Press Release Source: Oracle Corp.
Oracle(R) Database 10g on HP Integrity Superdome Server Sets World Record For 10 Terabyte Data Warehousing Benchmark
Wednesday January 7, 3:16 pm ET
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ( http://www.oracle.com/tellmemore/?2706878 ) Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL - News) today announced with HP a world record non-clustered TPC-H 10 terabyte benchmark result for Oracle® Database 10g running on an HP Integrity Superdome server with HP-UX, highlighting the companies' ability to satisfy customers' most demanding decision support and data warehousing requirements.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020718/ORCLLOGO )
Running on an HP Integrity Superdome server with 64 Intel Itanium 2 1.5 GHz processors with HP-UX 11i v2 and HP StorageWorks VA7100 disk arrays, Oracle Database 10g achieved 49,108 QphH@10000GB at a price performance of $118/QphH@10000GB.
The single-system result delivers significantly more performance per processor* at less than half the cost per query/hour than the best clustered results from IBM and NCR Teradata, demonstrating that versatile single systems can handle similar workloads of clustered systems at less than half the cost. At the 10-terabyte database size, Oracle Database 10g and the HP Integrity Superdome produced a query/hour performance level per server that is four times faster than IBM's DB2 on the IBM p690. Oracle and HP now hold the world record non-clustered TPC-H results for the three and 10-terabyte scale factors.
In addition, Oracle and HP also hold both the single-system and clustered TPC-C performance records with the only benchmarks ever to surpass one million transactions per minute, demonstrating the power of HP Integrity servers and Oracle Database 10g for both scale-up and scale-out solutions. The records were set utilizing an HP Integrity Superdome server running HP-UX and Oracle Database 10g and by a cluster of HP Integrity rx5670 servers running Linux and Oracle Database 10g.
"Companies with huge data warehousing projects are always searching for a better, faster way to manage and make sense of their high volumes of data," said Richard Sarwal, vice president, Server Performance at Oracle. "Oracle Database 10g in combination with HP Integrity servers enable companies to get excellent performance at a much lower price point than competing products."
"Oracle and HP jointly enable organizations to operate the largest and most complex decision support and data warehousing environments at a price/performance that is less than half of that of competing vendors," said Don Jenkins, vice president Marketing for HP's Business Critical Servers. "The HP Integrity servers again have proven their versatility and exceptional performance characteristics. The same server, the HP Integrity Superdome, that holds the top four TPC-C results on HP-UX, Windows Server 2003, and Linux, has today delivered the highest non-clustered TPC-H result."
About Oracle Database 10g
Oracle Database 10g is designed to be effectively deployed on everything from small servers to the biggest SMP servers and from clusters to enterprise grids. It features automated tuning and management capabilities that make it easy and cost effective to operate. Its unique ability to natively manage all your data from traditional business information to OLAP, to XML documents, to spatial/location information make it the ideal choice to power Online Transaction Processing, Business Intelligence, Data Warehousing, and Content Management applications.
About TPC-H
TPC-H is a decision support benchmark consisting of a suite of business oriented ad-hoc queries and concurrent data modifications. The performance metric is called the TPC-H Composite Query-per-Hour Performance Metric (QphH@Size) and reflects multiple aspects of the capability of the system to process queries. More information is available at http://www.tpc.org .
About Oracle
Oracle is the world's largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com .
Trademarks
Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
* Performance in queries/hour per processor is 767 for HP, 389 for IBM,
and 637 for NCR based on the 10000GB results below.
-- HP Integrity Superdome: 49,104 QphH@10000GB, $118/QphH@10000GB
availability of 3/25/04, 64 CPUs and 1 server. (non clustered)
-- IBM p690: 62,214 QphH@10000GB, $243/QphH@10000GB availability of
5/15/03, 160 CPUs and 5 servers. (clustered)
-- NCR 5230: 81,501QphH@10000GB, $243/QphH@10000GB availability of
12/20/02, 128 CPUs and 64 nodes ( servers). (clustered)
-- Oracle and HP TPC-C cluster and single system results over one
million transactions per minute:
* Sixteen-node HP Integrity rx5670 server cluster, each with four
Intel Itanium 2 1.5-GHz processors running Red Hat Enterprise
Linux AS 3 and Oracle Database 10g with Real Application Clusters
achieved 1,184,893.38 tpmC, at $5.52/tpmC, available 4/30/04.
* HP Integrity Superdome server running HP-UX 11iv2, HP
StorageWorks solutions and Oracle Database 10g Enterprise Edition
achieved 1,008,144.49 tpmC, at $8.33/tpmC, available 3/25/04.
Source: Transaction Processing Council (TPC). For more information on TPC-H and TPC-C benchmarks, please visit, www.tpc.org. TPC is registered trademark by the Transaction Processing Council.
For more information regarding Oracle performance benchmarks, please visit, www.oracle.com/benchmarks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Oracle Corp.
What happened to IBM and the Opteron? IBM Corp. on Monday will announce plans to add a third member to its BladeCenter family of high-density blade servers. The Xeon-based BladeCenter HS40 will be the first four-way blade system released by the Armonk, New York, company.
Based on Intel Corp.'s 2.8GHz Xeon MP processors, the HS40 will be about twice the thickness of the IBM's dual-processor HS20. It will also have more memory, said Tim Dougherty, IBM's director of blade strategy.
"It's got 8 DIMM (dual in-line memory module) slots, so you should be able to get (16GB) of memory on it," he said.
Although IBM is about a year behind rival Hewlett-Packard Co. in unveiling a four-way blade, it has been worth the wait because IBM's servers can be packed more densely than can HP's four-way BL40p systems, Dougherty said.
IBM's new servers will slide into the same 7U (31.1 cm) BladeCenter Chassis used for the HS20, which can hold as many as seven HS40 or 14 HS20 blades.
A 6U (26.7 cm) enclosure can hold two of HP's BL40p servers, according to materials on HP's Web site.
IBM put the HS40 into beta tests with a select number of customers in December and will begin shipping the HS40 on Feb. 13, Dougherty said.
The company also ships a dual-processor blade based on its Power4 microprocessor, called the JS20, and is considering the possibility of shipping a four-way Power4 system, said Dougherty, who declined to give specific details on IBM's future product plans.
The HS40 will ship with either Microsoft Windows 2000 Server or Linux. Pricing for the new systems was not available at press time.
"They've expanded the clean room twice since then, so the nominal capacity is now 8,000 WPW.
They've also added a metal layer to their process, so maybe it's effectively more like 7,500"
Ok, Dan3, you're the expert - as always.
AMD's Dresden fab has 7500 wafers/week capacity - and you wouldn't lie or exaggerate, would you now?
So, with a 200 mm wafer (31,400 sq. mm.) , and AMD's average die size at, say, 105 sq. mm., AMD should get 299 die/wafer, but we'll derate that by 15% - so let's say, 254 die/wafer.
Your value for 7500 wafers per week gives 7500*254 = 1,907,395 good die/week - or 24,796,142 per quarter for a 13 week quarter.
But most fan boys have put 8,000,000 die/quarter as AMD's output for the past quarter, giving AMD a 32% yield.
32% yield for AMD - using your numbers.
" after the proxy in April is released."
Here's AMD's proxy from 2003 - where they revealed that, after losing one billion dollars in 2002, they enriched themselves by granting each other hundreds of thousands of shares of stocks options.
You totally approve and admire this behavior - don't you?
<tbl>
Name
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Options Granted (1)
% of Total
Options
Granted to
Employees in Fiscal Year
Exercise
Price Per Share
Expiration Date
Potential Realizable Value
at Assumed Annual Rates
of Stock Price Appreciation
For Option Term (2)
0%
5%
10%
W. J. Sanders III
0
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Hector de J. Ruiz
400,000
3.43
$
16.05
1/31/12
$
0.00
$
4,037,503
$
10,231,827
200,000
1.71
$
16.05
1/31/12
$
0.00
$
2,018,752
$
5,115,913
600,000
5.14
$
16.05
1/31/12
$
0.00
$
6,056,255
$
15,347,740
Robert R. Herb
50,000
0.43
$
11.69
4/24/12
$
0.00
$
367,589
$
931,542
50,000
0.43
$
8.46
7/24/12
$
0.00
$
266,022
$
674,153
50,000
0.43
$
5.92
10/24/12
$
0.00
$
186,153
$
471,748
50,000
0.43
$
5.92
10/24/12
$
0.00
$
186,153
$
471,748
Robert J. Rivet
25,000
0.21
$
11.69
4/24/12
$
0.00
$
183,794
$
465,771
25,000
0.21
$
8.46
7/24/12
$
0.00
$
133,011
$
337,076
25,000
0.21
$
5.92
10/24/12
$
0.00
$
93,076
$
235,874
25,000
0.21
$
5.92
10/24/12
$
0.00
$
93,076
$
235,874
William T. Siegle
18,750
0.16
$
11.69
4/24/12
$
0.00
$
137,846
$
349,328
18,750
0.16
$
8.46
7/24/12
$
0.00
$
99,758
$
252,807
18,750
0.16
$
5.92
10/24/12
$
0.00
$
69,807
$
176,905
18,750
0.16
$
5.92
10/24/12
$
0.00
$
69,807
$
176,905
20,000
0.17
$
0.01
8/14/12
$
181,000
$
294,956
$
469,786
Thomas M. McCoy
25,000
0.21
$
11.69
4/24/12
$
0.00
$
183,794
$
465,771
25,000
0.21
$
8.46
7/24/12
$
0.00
$
133,011
$
337,076
25,000
0.21
$
5.92
10/24/12
$
0.00
$
93,076
$
235,874
25,000
0.21
$
5.92
10/24/12
$
0.00
$
93,076
$
235,874
</tbl>
AMD will be back to about $7 this time next year.
$7 is AMD's usual "base state".
Maybe your dealer friends are all at Radio Shack?
Here's another dealer with P4ee in stock.
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=19-116-167&refer=pr1c3watch
All products -> Your Search:19-116-167 Result: 2 Items(s) Found
Search Within These Results:
View Style: Summary Short Description Detail Long Description Detail
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All products > Processors > INTEL > N82E16819116167
Intel Pentium 4/ 3.2 GHz Extreme Edition 800MHz FSB, 2MB L3 Cache, Hyper Threading Technology - OEM
Specification
Model: Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz Extreme Edition w/ Hyper Threading
Core: Gallatin
Operating Frequency: 3.2GHz
FSB: 800MHz
Cache: L2/512K; L3/ 2MB
Voltage: 1.525V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket 478
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2
Packaging: OEM Version (Heatsink/Fan sold separately)
**This item is NOT REFUNDABLE, exchange for same exact item only!!** (limit 4 per customer)
Model# RK80532PG0882M
Item# N82E16819116167
Stock Status: In Stock
Rating: (avg rating out of 133 voters) Reviews: 14
Click Here For More Product Info
Price: $969.00 Free FedEx Saver Shipping
"I can tell you that all of the dealers I know have NO P4ee chips"
Here's another nationally known dealer who has them in stock:
http://www.nutrend.com/app/search.asp?sp-q=19-116-167&refer=pricewatch
Intel Pentium 4/ 3.2 GHz Extreme Edition 800MHz FSB, 2MB L3 Cache, Hyper Threading Technology - OEM
Specification
Model: Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz Extreme Edition w/ Hyper Threading
Core: Gallatin
Operating Frequency: 3.2GHz
FSB: 800MHz
Cache: L2/512K; L3/ 2MB
Voltage: 1.525V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket 478
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2
Packaging: OEM Version (Heatsink/Fan sold separately) (ITEM=NU19116167)
Price:$971 Stock: Yes Free FedEx Saver Shipping
"I can tell you that all of the dealers I know have NO P4ee chips"
You must only look where youy know you won't find an P4EE chips.
Here's a nationally known dealer who has them in stock:
http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=1....
Intel P4 478 3.2 GHz 800 FSB 2MB (HT) Extreme Edition (OEM)
Quantity in Basket: none
Code: 120875
Price: $974.00
Shipping Weight: 1.00 pounds
FREE SHIPPING
Limit 1 Per Customer
In Stock - Usually ships in 1-2 days
Intel: King of the Wi-Fi Frontier?
DECEMBER 30, 2003
STREET WISE
By Olga Kharif
Intel: King of the Wi-Fi Frontier?
Its new Grantsdale chipset for desktops stands to do for traditional PCs what Centrino has done for laptops
For Intel, the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer, 2003 can be summed up in one word: mobile. In March, the chip heavyweight, which holds an 82% market share in microprocessors for desktop PCs, introduced the Pentium M -- a chip that provides notebook PCs with better performance and longer battery life. It subsequently introduced Centrino -- a package that combines the Pentium M with several other chips, including one that connects laptops, via devices called "access points," to high-speed, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) networks that are typically then connected to the Internet. On the shoulders of a $300 million marketing campaign, Centrino sales took off.
And how. The Pentium M plus the Centrino combo accounted for about 25% of Intel's (INTC ) total revenue in 2003, estimates Richard Whittington, an analyst with American Technology Research in Greenwich, Conn. In the third quarter, the dynamic duo spurred Intel's strongest year-over-year revenue growth since 1996: Sales rose a sizzling 20% in the period, to $7.8 billion, while profits jumped 142% vs. a year ago, to $1.7 billion.
The new chips have contributed disproportionately to profits, since Centrino's average selling price -- about $250 -- is around 40% higher than that for an average Intel microprocessor, Whittington estimates. The result is that the chip king's stock is up more than 80% this year, to around $32 as of Dec. 29.
MIGHTY MITES. Ready or not, Intel is rapidly becoming more tightly tethered to the wireless world -- and vice versa. Research consultancy Gartner Group predicts that big businesses increasingly will choose Centrino-enabled laptops as they replace their dead and dying desktop PCs over the next few years. Corporations want wireless because it makes employees more productive, letting them wander around the office with computer in hand.
And though much of the recent buzz on Intel has focused on its plans for digital-TV chips and a new desktop microprocessor, those won't benefit it nearly as much in 2004 as the next-generation Centrino and Pentium M chips scheduled for the first quarter. For the full year, Whittington estimates, those two products could account for 35% of total revenues and for a larger share of profits.
In part, that's because the new Pentium M, code-named Dothan, will be smaller than its predecessor -- and half as costly to make, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley. That helps explain why analysts polled by financial service First Call expect Intel's earnings per share to climb 61% in 2004, to around $1.24, as revenues rise 15.3%, to $35 billion. These analysts expect Intel's stock to hit $37 or so in 2004, up more than 20%.
ALL ACCESS PASS. The next Wi-Fi move will be to try to replicate Centrino's success on more than 120 million desktops that consumers buy each year. Sometime before mid-2004, Intel will unveil a new desktop chipset named Grantsdale -- its first total overhaul of that component in a decade.
In addition to doing the traditional task of coordinating the activities of key chips in a PC, Grantsdale will have wireless features that will significantly broaden the capabilities of desktops. Essentially, it will turn them into the type of access points that Centrino-enabled laptops must have to make a Wi-Fi connection.
For a couple of years now, Wi-Fi aficionados have connected their laptops to the Net via access points -- as long as those are within 300 feet of the laptop. Intel's theory is that it can now persuade millions of homeowners to install their own access points -- a desktop PC costing perhaps $1,000 that can connect every machine in a multi-laptop family to the Net.
PACKAGE DEAL. Better yet, says William Leszinske Jr., director of chipset and software marketing at Intel, access-point desktops that are equipped with a special circuit card will use radio signals to beam images to the family TV or music to the stereo.
That may sound farfetched. But more than half of laptops sold in 2003 came with Wi-Fi capability installed. And according to industry analysts, many customers buy laptops with Centrino inside mainly because of its Wi-Fi chip. That's fine with Intel, which makes most of its money on the Pentium M processor, by far the most expensive element in the package.
Most likely, Intel will pursue a similar strategy with Grantsdale. For instance, it could sell the chipset as part of a package deal with its new desktop processor. Called Prescott, it's a smaller-size (read: higher margin) Pentium IV that began shipping in small volumes in the fourth quarter. Intel declines to comment on its marketing plans.
CLOSING THE GAP. These initiatives could turn Intel into the king of Wi-Fi chips, now a $1 billion market. Nearly 8% of laptops shipped in October contained Centrino vs. 3.5% in May, according to NPD Group. That's an indication that Intel has begun to catch up with competitors such as Conexant (CNXT ), Broadcom (BRCM ), and Agere (AGRa , AGRb ), which sell Wi-Fi chips separately instead of packaging them into combos such as Centrino.
Intel's new Centrino, whose Wi-Fi chip will match its rivals' capabilities by connecting to a wider variety of Wi-Fi networks, will further close the gap, says Dean McCarron, founder of processor consultancy Mercury Research. So will Intel's huge Centrino ad campaign, one goal of which is to establish the chipmaker's Wi-Fi credentials in the minds of consumers. Craig Mathias, founder of wireless consultancy FarPoint Group, believes that within 12 to 18 months, Intel will dominate the Wi-Fi chip market.
In both microprocessors and Wi-Fi chips, Intel still has hurdles to overcome. Next year, rival AMD (AMD ) will roll out notebook processors based on its Althon64 architecture that could outperform Intel's, thanks to AMD's 64-bit processing capability, vs. Intel's 32. AMD lacks Intel's marketing muscle. But it's getting accolades from tech analysts, which will likely force Intel to cut prices on the new Centrino. Some analysts also question whether millions of consumers really will buy desktops to set up Wi-Fi access points at home.
"REVOLUTIONARY" CHANGE. Still, Grantsdale will likely succeed, if only because it includes features that allow for better graphics. And as it makes its way into PCs, consumers may ultimately find it cheaper to simply add a radio card -- which a desktop will need to function as an access point -- rather than buying a specialized access device from the likes of Netgear (NTGR ) or Cisco (CSCO ).
"[Grantsdale's wireless features] are revolutionary, and it will change a lot of business practices [of Intel's rivals]," says Steve Baker, an analyst with market consultancy NPD Techworld in Port Washington, N.Y. Clearly, the move to mobile is well under way. And it will help Intel continue to ride a wave of prosperity.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kharif covers technology for BusinessWeek Online in Portland, Ore.
Intel: King of the Wi-Fi Frontier?
DECEMBER 30, 2003
STREET WISE
By Olga Kharif
Intel: King of the Wi-Fi Frontier?
Its new Grantsdale chipset for desktops stands to do for traditional PCs what Centrino has done for laptops
For Intel, the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer, 2003 can be summed up in one word: mobile. In March, the chip heavyweight, which holds an 82% market share in microprocessors for desktop PCs, introduced the Pentium M -- a chip that provides notebook PCs with better performance and longer battery life. It subsequently introduced Centrino -- a package that combines the Pentium M with several other chips, including one that connects laptops, via devices called "access points," to high-speed, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) networks that are typically then connected to the Internet. On the shoulders of a $300 million marketing campaign, Centrino sales took off.
And how. The Pentium M plus the Centrino combo accounted for about 25% of Intel's (INTC ) total revenue in 2003, estimates Richard Whittington, an analyst with American Technology Research in Greenwich, Conn. In the third quarter, the dynamic duo spurred Intel's strongest year-over-year revenue growth since 1996: Sales rose a sizzling 20% in the period, to $7.8 billion, while profits jumped 142% vs. a year ago, to $1.7 billion.
The new chips have contributed disproportionately to profits, since Centrino's average selling price -- about $250 -- is around 40% higher than that for an average Intel microprocessor, Whittington estimates. The result is that the chip king's stock is up more than 80% this year, to around $32 as of Dec. 29.
MIGHTY MITES. Ready or not, Intel is rapidly becoming more tightly tethered to the wireless world -- and vice versa. Research consultancy Gartner Group predicts that big businesses increasingly will choose Centrino-enabled laptops as they replace their dead and dying desktop PCs over the next few years. Corporations want wireless because it makes employees more productive, letting them wander around the office with computer in hand.
And though much of the recent buzz on Intel has focused on its plans for digital-TV chips and a new desktop microprocessor, those won't benefit it nearly as much in 2004 as the next-generation Centrino and Pentium M chips scheduled for the first quarter. For the full year, Whittington estimates, those two products could account for 35% of total revenues and for a larger share of profits.
In part, that's because the new Pentium M, code-named Dothan, will be smaller than its predecessor -- and half as costly to make, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley. That helps explain why analysts polled by financial service First Call expect Intel's earnings per share to climb 61% in 2004, to around $1.24, as revenues rise 15.3%, to $35 billion. These analysts expect Intel's stock to hit $37 or so in 2004, up more than 20%.
ALL ACCESS PASS. The next Wi-Fi move will be to try to replicate Centrino's success on more than 120 million desktops that consumers buy each year. Sometime before mid-2004, Intel will unveil a new desktop chipset named Grantsdale -- its first total overhaul of that component in a decade.
In addition to doing the traditional task of coordinating the activities of key chips in a PC, Grantsdale will have wireless features that will significantly broaden the capabilities of desktops. Essentially, it will turn them into the type of access points that Centrino-enabled laptops must have to make a Wi-Fi connection.
For a couple of years now, Wi-Fi aficionados have connected their laptops to the Net via access points -- as long as those are within 300 feet of the laptop. Intel's theory is that it can now persuade millions of homeowners to install their own access points -- a desktop PC costing perhaps $1,000 that can connect every machine in a multi-laptop family to the Net.
PACKAGE DEAL. Better yet, says William Leszinske Jr., director of chipset and software marketing at Intel, access-point desktops that are equipped with a special circuit card will use radio signals to beam images to the family TV or music to the stereo.
That may sound farfetched. But more than half of laptops sold in 2003 came with Wi-Fi capability installed. And according to industry analysts, many customers buy laptops with Centrino inside mainly because of its Wi-Fi chip. That's fine with Intel, which makes most of its money on the Pentium M processor, by far the most expensive element in the package.
Most likely, Intel will pursue a similar strategy with Grantsdale. For instance, it could sell the chipset as part of a package deal with its new desktop processor. Called Prescott, it's a smaller-size (read: higher margin) Pentium IV that began shipping in small volumes in the fourth quarter. Intel declines to comment on its marketing plans.
CLOSING THE GAP. These initiatives could turn Intel into the king of Wi-Fi chips, now a $1 billion market. Nearly 8% of laptops shipped in October contained Centrino vs. 3.5% in May, according to NPD Group. That's an indication that Intel has begun to catch up with competitors such as Conexant (CNXT ), Broadcom (BRCM ), and Agere (AGRa , AGRb ), which sell Wi-Fi chips separately instead of packaging them into combos such as Centrino.
Intel's new Centrino, whose Wi-Fi chip will match its rivals' capabilities by connecting to a wider variety of Wi-Fi networks, will further close the gap, says Dean McCarron, founder of processor consultancy Mercury Research. So will Intel's huge Centrino ad campaign, one goal of which is to establish the chipmaker's Wi-Fi credentials in the minds of consumers. Craig Mathias, founder of wireless consultancy FarPoint Group, believes that within 12 to 18 months, Intel will dominate the Wi-Fi chip market.
In both microprocessors and Wi-Fi chips, Intel still has hurdles to overcome. Next year, rival AMD (AMD ) will roll out notebook processors based on its Althon64 architecture that could outperform Intel's, thanks to AMD's 64-bit processing capability, vs. Intel's 32. AMD lacks Intel's marketing muscle. But it's getting accolades from tech analysts, which will likely force Intel to cut prices on the new Centrino. Some analysts also question whether millions of consumers really will buy desktops to set up Wi-Fi access points at home.
"REVOLUTIONARY" CHANGE. Still, Grantsdale will likely succeed, if only because it includes features that allow for better graphics. And as it makes its way into PCs, consumers may ultimately find it cheaper to simply add a radio card -- which a desktop will need to function as an access point -- rather than buying a specialized access device from the likes of Netgear (NTGR ) or Cisco (CSCO ).
"[Grantsdale's wireless features] are revolutionary, and it will change a lot of business practices [of Intel's rivals]," says Steve Baker, an analyst with market consultancy NPD Techworld in Port Washington, N.Y. Clearly, the move to mobile is well under way. And it will help Intel continue to ride a wave of prosperity.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kharif covers technology for BusinessWeek Online in Portland, Ore.
"Otellini is AMD's best friend."
He sure is.
Otellini was the prime mover that brought Intel the Centrino - and a completely dominant market share in the single fastest growing segment of the PC industry.
Meanwhile, AMD put all their money into Opteron and the server segment - which has been one of the slower growing segments, and which it takes years to build up a user base.
So, AMD has Otellini to thank for keeping AMD into a spiral of 9 consecutive quarterly losses - a long tradition established by Jerry Sanders and carried out by Intel's best friend - Hector Ruiz - who single handedly has helped AMD lose over a Billion Dollars in the past 2 1/2 years.
Hector or Otellini?
How many Billions of Dollars has Intel earned since Otellini has started taking over for Craig Barrett?
Of course, AMD's measure of success, for AMD, is how many consecutive quarterly losses can be piled up - at which Hector has proven himself to be an unbridled success.
And let's not forget all that $2 Billion in debt that Hector has helped pile up - and set the stage to increase this debt even further.
Hector Ruiz - intel's best friend, without a doubt.
Maybe you can tell us when was the last time that AMD, under Hector, has posted a profit?
"And AMD has demonstrated working production parts from its 90nm process."
Yes they have.
Then AMD did two things:
1. They announced their second delay in their 90 nM program, pushing the start of production into the second half of 2004.
2. They started informing their customers that the 90 nM AMD64 devices would crank out 105 watts - even more that Intel's Prescott.
AMD hit themselves up-side the head with a hot reality check.
Bingo Boy and Ransom Note Moonshoot are having a regular lovefest these days - with your help - despite Bingo Boy dropping a load of dough on his AMD December $16 and December $19 call options that expired worthless on Friday.
How can you fanboys keep exchanging love notes about how great AMD is doing?
"if it's a Deerfield entry
level IPF box (1GHz 1.5 MB I2) the hardware x86 speed is
about that of a 300 MHz PII. With IA-32 EL the x86 speed
is more like a 1 GHz PIII."
Is this a "WAG" or a value that you have experienced?
"that was funny OPTERHOT!!!"
Thanks - I thought it was pretty "cool" myself.
Marathon Oil Company, the company's Reservoir Description and Management group recently installed an SGI® Altix(TM) 3000 system driven by 12 Intel® Itanium® 2 processors
Press Release Source: SGI
SGI Enables Effort to Accelerate Oil and Gas Reservoir Modeling and Simulation
Wednesday December 17, 12:29 pm ET
As Exploration Produces Increasingly Larger Data, SGI Altix 3000 Helps Marathon Oil Company Pinpoint Discoveries Up to Four Times Faster
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Throughout the oil and gas industry, modeling and simulation data sets are growing in size exponentially, making it increasingly difficult to conduct large-scale computational tasks. At Houston-based Marathon Oil Company, the company's Reservoir Description and Management group recently installed an SGI® Altix(TM) 3000 system driven by 12 Intel® Itanium® 2 processors for the intensive modeling tasks needed to describe the subsurface and predict fluid flow at Marathon fields around the world.
The unique SGI® NUMAlfex(TM) shared-memory architecture enables Altix 3000 servers and superclusters to distribute calculations over an array of nodes.
"With traditional distributed computing architecture, complex tasks based on large data sets need to be broken up into subsets. That becomes unwieldy and eventually impossible as those sets become increasingly dense," explains Mark Petersen, manager, Reservoir Description and Management, Marathon Oil.
"With the NUMAflex shared memory architecture of the Altix 3000 family, all processors can work on the same task in resident memory simultaneously, even if the model is 30 gigabytes or more," said Bill Bartling, senior director, Market Strategy at SGI. "That dramatically speeds up -- currently by a factor of four -- what would otherwise be enormously difficult and time- consuming jobs."
Petersen's department is involved with the first two of three steps in the well management process, all related to estimating oil and gas reserves in the subsurface and predicting how quickly the company can produce those reserves:
-- the geocellular model, a static model describing the rocks and fluid
properties of the field,
-- reservoir simulation, a fluid dynamic model characterizing how fluids
flow through and from those rocks, and
-- the economic model, enabling the company to efficiently manage the
monetary resources required to produce the hydrocarbons.
"The first two steps allow Marathon to look at a number of possible production scenarios -- how many platforms do you build, when do you build them, how much do you spend, etc. -- and selecting the best one to produce the optimum rates of oil," explains Peterson. The third step models the cash flow from the project based on each of the scenarios under consideration.
"Historically, throughout the industry, otherwise high-resolution reservoir models were decimated in order for yesterday's lower-performance computers to handle them," added Bartling. "Today, Altix systems allow companies to retain high-resolution models, computing them in the same time or less than was the case with yesterday's models. That equates to cost savings, better planning, more effective and efficient oil production, predicable revenues and increased shareholder value."
"It's gratifying to know that SGI's family of products fulfills not only the industry's visualization and storage needs but also the increasingly demanding HPC needs of such leading international oil and gas companies as Marathon," added Bartling. "We look forward to working with Marathon to help meet its computing challenges for many years to come."
Scalable SGI Altix 3000 systems are available today in server configurations of 4 to 64 processors, and supercluster configurations of 4 to 512 processors. For customers demanding even larger Altix superclusters, SGI plans to support configurations of 1,024 processors in May 2004 and larger over time.
With global shared memory across cluster nodes, Altix 3000 superclusters will scale to up to thousands of processors. Such supercluster capabilities leverage the built-in SGI® NUMAlink(TM) interconnect fabric, delivering data across nodes up to 200 times faster than conventional clustering interconnects. For the leading oil and gas customers this means that larger, more complex reservoir models than ever before can be run directly out of one main memory. This, in turn, will enable faster and better solutions for maximizing oil field yields. For details about SGI's involvement with the international oil and gas industry, visit www.sgi.com/industries/energy, and for perspective on SGI Altix 3000 systems, visit www.sgi.com/servers/altix.
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding SGI technologies and third-party technologies that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such statements. The viewer is cautioned not to rely unduly on these forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of future or current performance. Such risks and uncertainties include long-term program commitments, the performance of third parties, the sustained performance of current and future products, financing risks, the impact of competitive markets, the ability to integrate and support a complex technology solution involving multiple providers and users, the acceptance of applicable technologies by markets and customers, and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's most recent SEC reports, including its reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q.
SILICON GRAPHICS / The Source of Innovation and Discovery(TM)
SGI, also known as Silicon Graphics, Inc., is the world's leader in high-performance computing, visualization and storage. SGI's vision is to provide technology that enables the most significant scientific and creative breakthroughs of the 21st century. Whether it's sharing images to aid in brain surgery, finding oil more efficiently, studying global climate or enabling the transition from analog to digital broadcasting, SGI is dedicated to addressing the next class of challenges for scientific, engineering and creative users. SGI was named on FORTUNE magazine's 2003 list of "Top 100 Companies to Work For." With offices worldwide, the company is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and can be found on the Web at www.sgi.com.
NOTE: Silicon Graphics, SGI and the SGI logo are registered trademarks and Altix, NUMAflex, NUMAlink and The Source of Innovation and Discovery are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries worldwide. Intel and Itanium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010510/SFTH025LOGO )
Media Contact
Lisa Pistacchio
pistacchio@sgi.com
650-933-5683
SGI PR Hotline
650.933.7777
SGI PR Facsimile
650.933.0283
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: SGI
Email
"I wonder how many IS managers are reading these rumors and holding off on Itanium commitments until the air is cleared?"
Looks like the IS managers at Marathon Oil Company didn't bother holding off - and bought a 12 CPU Itanium 2 system from SGI.
Yeah, I know...only 12 Itaniums - that's a big whoopeee. But they do begin to add up, now, don't they?
Press Release Source: SGI
SGI Enables Effort to Accelerate Oil and Gas Reservoir Modeling and Simulation
Wednesday December 17, 12:29 pm ET
As Exploration Produces Increasingly Larger Data, SGI Altix 3000 Helps Marathon Oil Company Pinpoint Discoveries Up to Four Times Faster
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Throughout the oil and gas industry, modeling and simulation data sets are growing in size exponentially, making it increasingly difficult to conduct large-scale computational tasks. At Houston-based Marathon Oil Company, the company's Reservoir Description and Management group recently installed an SGI® Altix(TM) 3000 system driven by 12 Intel® Itanium® 2 processors for the intensive modeling tasks needed to describe the subsurface and predict fluid flow at Marathon fields around the world.
The unique SGI® NUMAlfex(TM) shared-memory architecture enables Altix 3000 servers and superclusters to distribute calculations over an array of nodes.
"With traditional distributed computing architecture, complex tasks based on large data sets need to be broken up into subsets. That becomes unwieldy and eventually impossible as those sets become increasingly dense," explains Mark Petersen, manager, Reservoir Description and Management, Marathon Oil.
"With the NUMAflex shared memory architecture of the Altix 3000 family, all processors can work on the same task in resident memory simultaneously, even if the model is 30 gigabytes or more," said Bill Bartling, senior director, Market Strategy at SGI. "That dramatically speeds up -- currently by a factor of four -- what would otherwise be enormously difficult and time- consuming jobs."
Petersen's department is involved with the first two of three steps in the well management process, all related to estimating oil and gas reserves in the subsurface and predicting how quickly the company can produce those reserves:
-- the geocellular model, a static model describing the rocks and fluid
properties of the field,
-- reservoir simulation, a fluid dynamic model characterizing how fluids
flow through and from those rocks, and
-- the economic model, enabling the company to efficiently manage the
monetary resources required to produce the hydrocarbons.
"The first two steps allow Marathon to look at a number of possible production scenarios -- how many platforms do you build, when do you build them, how much do you spend, etc. -- and selecting the best one to produce the optimum rates of oil," explains Peterson. The third step models the cash flow from the project based on each of the scenarios under consideration.
"Historically, throughout the industry, otherwise high-resolution reservoir models were decimated in order for yesterday's lower-performance computers to handle them," added Bartling. "Today, Altix systems allow companies to retain high-resolution models, computing them in the same time or less than was the case with yesterday's models. That equates to cost savings, better planning, more effective and efficient oil production, predicable revenues and increased shareholder value."
"It's gratifying to know that SGI's family of products fulfills not only the industry's visualization and storage needs but also the increasingly demanding HPC needs of such leading international oil and gas companies as Marathon," added Bartling. "We look forward to working with Marathon to help meet its computing challenges for many years to come."
Scalable SGI Altix 3000 systems are available today in server configurations of 4 to 64 processors, and supercluster configurations of 4 to 512 processors. For customers demanding even larger Altix superclusters, SGI plans to support configurations of 1,024 processors in May 2004 and larger over time.
With global shared memory across cluster nodes, Altix 3000 superclusters will scale to up to thousands of processors. Such supercluster capabilities leverage the built-in SGI® NUMAlink(TM) interconnect fabric, delivering data across nodes up to 200 times faster than conventional clustering interconnects. For the leading oil and gas customers this means that larger, more complex reservoir models than ever before can be run directly out of one main memory. This, in turn, will enable faster and better solutions for maximizing oil field yields. For details about SGI's involvement with the international oil and gas industry, visit www.sgi.com/industries/energy, and for perspective on SGI Altix 3000 systems, visit www.sgi.com/servers/altix.
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding SGI technologies and third-party technologies that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such statements. The viewer is cautioned not to rely unduly on these forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of future or current performance. Such risks and uncertainties include long-term program commitments, the performance of third parties, the sustained performance of current and future products, financing risks, the impact of competitive markets, the ability to integrate and support a complex technology solution involving multiple providers and users, the acceptance of applicable technologies by markets and customers, and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's most recent SEC reports, including its reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q.
SILICON GRAPHICS / The Source of Innovation and Discovery(TM)
SGI, also known as Silicon Graphics, Inc., is the world's leader in high-performance computing, visualization and storage. SGI's vision is to provide technology that enables the most significant scientific and creative breakthroughs of the 21st century. Whether it's sharing images to aid in brain surgery, finding oil more efficiently, studying global climate or enabling the transition from analog to digital broadcasting, SGI is dedicated to addressing the next class of challenges for scientific, engineering and creative users. SGI was named on FORTUNE magazine's 2003 list of "Top 100 Companies to Work For." With offices worldwide, the company is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and can be found on the Web at www.sgi.com.
NOTE: Silicon Graphics, SGI and the SGI logo are registered trademarks and Altix, NUMAflex, NUMAlink and The Source of Innovation and Discovery are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries worldwide. Intel and Itanium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010510/SFTH025LOGO )
Media Contact
Lisa Pistacchio
pistacchio@sgi.com
650-933-5683
SGI PR Hotline
650.933.7777
SGI PR Facsimile
650.933.0283
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: SGI
Email
"LOL, Athlon 64 and Opteron both have 400+ 64 bit registers in their OOO register pool not to mention how many 80bit FP registers they have in the FP OOO register pool."
I am laughing even LOUDER !! You don't even understand what those OOO registers are - it sounds like you are just repeating someone else's misinformed babble.
All those OOO regsiters are merely duplicates of the Athlon 64/Opteron 16 registers and they are completely hidden from the programmer - they are hardware duplicates that allow an x86 instruction to use its logical 16 registers independent of other instructions using their logical 16 registers.
No Programmer can use these registers - only the internal Athlon (or Pentium, which also has them) can use them to assist with instructions executing out of order with respect to other instructions in a code sequence.
The Athlon 64/Opteron has only 16 USEABLE registers from a programming standpoint.
My goodness, how can you fall into such a misinformed trap?
Isn't it funny - almost a whole day has gone by and none of the AMD fan boys has spat out a joke about the power dissipation on Intel's Prescott.
I wonder why.
I wonder why.
http://webpages.charter.net/tates/MO/amd_90nm_heat.jpg
The 105 watt power dissipation of the 90 nM OpterHot comes directly from AMD by way of an AMD slide show - the critical one can be found here:
(Until AMD gets it pulled !)
http://webpages.charter.net/tates/MO/amd_90nm_heat.jpg
"There is the one rumor today about a similar problem for AMD, it is way early to know if there is any truth there. "
Funny - you never attributed the Prescott Power dissipation problems as just a "rumor" - and discounted the truth about it.
However, the 105 watt OpterHot is fact - published by AMD, no less, and this fact is contained on an AMD slide which you can view here:
http://webpages.charter.net/tates/MO/amd_90nm_heat.jpg
"AMD64 does not require >2GB of memory to speed up lots of code using twice as many 64-bit registers and the OS can be much more efficient managing memory when the logical address space is orders of magnitude larger than the physical address space."
Twice as many registers?
Get real.
Why don't you just say "16" instead of "8".
16 just doesn't sound as good as "twice as many" does it ?
Especially when the competiton has 256 registers.
And don't forget, Petz, the Athlon 64/Opteron just like the Itanium needs brand new OS and software - probably why most developers are opting for the chip with 256 registers instead of the paltry hamstrung 16 registers.
By the way - just where is all that 64 bit software? I haven't seen AMD's lacky Unreal dude come up with his "64 bit enabled" version.
My my my - whatever happened to the Droid cry of "just a simple recompile"?
maybe there are no compilers - right Petz?