Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[chipguy]

Intel will launch new versions of the chip, and the king of processors says its plan for more Itaniums
is unstoppable. If this is true, Intel will soon launch Itaniums that use an improved architecture.

Code optimized for the McKinley I2 which has been shipping since last summer will run
full speed on the this year's Madison I2 6M, next year's Madison I2 9M, and 2004's Montecito
since they all use the same CPU microarchitecture.

But the problem with compiler-based optimisation is that software runs best when it is
optimised differently for each version of the chip's architecture.

And this is somehow different for IPF than it is for POWER3 vs POWER4, EV5 vs EV6, PIII vs P4,
and K7 vs K8? I bet you get a far greater performance increase recompiling a PIII app for P4
than you do recompiling a Merced app for McKinley. What an idiot.

The Epic approach seems to signal server software upgrades every year or two.

Only if you are blindly ignorant of the facts.

After some 10 years of development, Intel and HP have made a costly chip that seems suited to a few niches.

Yeah, commercial servers and technical computing.

BTW, the McKinley design project started in 1997 and the chip taped out at the end of 2000. The chip was
officially introduced in mid 2002. That is roughly 5 years, not 10 years and compares well to any number
of recent server MPUs I could mention. IT Weak must pay this guy by the mistake, not a fixed fee.

It's hard to say whether HP is disappointed by Itanium sales, but it seems odd that last year's release
of HP-UX supported only Itanium chips, while this year's version supports both the Itanium and its
predecessor - HP's PA-Risc chip.

Huh? HP-UX has supported HPPA since what, the 1980s? HP had two separate branches of HP-UX,
one for HPPA and one for IPF, and recently merged them. This guy is unreal.