Intel revs workstation, server chips

NEWS

Intel is in the midst of beefing up its processor lines for workstations and servers. Next week at the Intel Developer Forum, the company will announce 2.8GHz and 2.6GHz Xeons for single- and dual-processor workstations and servers and reveal more details on chips coming in the near future. Meanwhile, an energy-efficient 1.6GHz Xeon came out this week for blade servers. The new chips will boost the performance of workstations, high-end desktops used for duties like product design, and servers, networked machines that can do everything from storing data to conducting online transactions. Continually improving its Xeon chips -- which are now built around the same basic architecture used for the desktop Pentium 4 -- is an important mission for Intel, analysts say, because of the higher prices Xeons command. Intel also sells far more server chips than anyone else and has managed to take increasing amounts of market share from traditional RISC/Unix manufacturers, especially in the one-, two- and four-processor market. Rival AMD, meanwhile, has only recently begun to make an appreciable mark in servers. "During the second quarter, Intel saw its server product line as being a source of strength," said Dean McCarron, analyst with Mercury Research. Intel typically sells the chips for $50 to $100 (£32 to £64) more than Pentium 4 running at a corresponding clock speed. This helps boost profits, even though the company doesn't sell as many Xeons as Pentium 4s. Currently, its fastest Xeon chip for single- and dual-processor workstations and servers runs at 2.4GHz. Along with announcing the new chips at the conference, Intel will disclose more details on future chips, such as Gallatin, a forthcoming version of its Xeon MP processor for large servers with four or more chips, according to sources. Gallatin will offer higher clock speeds and larger data caches for storing data close at hand, which will serve to boost performance, Intel has said. Meanwhile, to help fill out its Xeon product line, Intel launched the new Low Voltage Xeon this week. The new 1.6GHz chip consumes about 30 watts of power, about half the amount consumed by a regular Xeon. By being less power hungry, the chip runs cooler, allowing it to fit into the tight confines of blade servers, an emerging class of small, thin servers designed for special racks. They fit into a rack like books fit in a bookcase. This new Low Voltage Xeon, which will list for $355, should be available in two to three weeks, Intel representatives said. It will replace similar offerings based on the Pentium III, with higher clock speeds and new features like hyperthreading, which boosts a chip's processing power. Computer maker Nexcom, which manufactures servers, will be one of the first companies to offer the Low Voltage Xeon chip. It will sell the 1.6GHz chip in two different dual-processor blade servers, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

See Chips Central for the latest headlines on processors and semiconductors. To find out more about the computers and hardware that these chips are being used in, see ZDNet UK's Hardware News Section. Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Go to the Chips Central Forum. Let the Chips Central editor know what you think by email. And sign up for the weekly Chips Central newsletter.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

ZDNet UK Live

@BrownieBoy > Works really well for thieves.... >> Nice attempt to deflect the argument by tossing in a point that's totally >> irrelevant, even...

30 minutes ago by Jack Schofield on AMD Ultrathins to challenge Intel Ultrabooks

fantastic that the so called piracy bills have been withdrawn. however, these anti-democracy supporters are still in the shadows so lets be alert...

1 hour ago by raskolnikof on SOPA, Protect IP support wavers in face of online protest

Please God no; teach them anything you like - thinking rationally, the uses and misuses of data, what data is and what it's not - but leave the...

3 hours ago by Tony Douglas via Facebook on Kids are the future. Teach ’em to code.

@Jack, > Works really well for thieves.... Nice attempt to deflect the argument by tossing in a point that's totally irrelevant, even it were...

18 hours ago by BrownieBoy on AMD Ultrathins to challenge Intel Ultrabooks

Make that 13 people now - I got refused today at Manchester airport. I thought I was up to date on this legislation - I knew of the EU ruling from...

21 hours ago by bootlegger on UK airport body scans will not be opt out

Don't forget to check out apps like GoodReader or SlideShark either, they're indispensible for people on the go in presentation situations. Best...

24 hours ago by tinycg on Four top iPad apps for people on the move

Well it seems there is something a number of us agree on. Why is the Ubuntu Unity launcher so ugly? I thought perhaps it was something to do with...

1 day ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

Duplicate comments are not made intentionally. Its very good to know that now you are keeping check on this problem because sometimes a commenter...

2 days ago by Freebies202 on Microsoft fixes blog comments, speeds up blogs with open source

"the very significant number of users" and "many (most) of us" - you have no evidence for these statements. It is a fact that most users are saying...

2 days ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint