Intel Outlines Processor Road Map
By the second half of this year, Intel plans on producing the first of its Penryn family of 45-nanometer processors and the company also plans to move ahead with its next-generation architecture in 2008.
On March 28, Intel executives delved into some additional details of its Penryn line of processors and also offered a glimpse at its Nehalem architecture, which the company said could offer up to eight cores per chip, as well as integrated graphics and memory controllers.
The Santa Clara, Calif., chip maker has 15 different 45-nanometer processors—which use the company’s Hi-k processor technology—in various stages of design and will have two fabs dedicated to manufacturing these chips by year’s end. By the second half of 2008, Intel plans to have four fabs dedicated to 45-nanometer chip manufacturing.
Steve Kleynhans, an analyst at Gartner, said that in the past few years, Intel has been able to deliver on its promises of processor innovations, including reducing chips from 90-nanometer to 65-nanometer. This latest announcement will put additional pressure on its main rival, Advanced Micro Devices—as long as Intel can continue to deliver new processors on time.
“It’s good for Intel as a company and it puts more pressure on AMD,” Kleynhans said. “For several years, Intel was at a disadvantage in the market and that allowed AMD to capture market share. Now, with Penryn, Intel looks like they are coming back strong and they seem intent to stay on top.” [read on]