Intel: 90nm dual-core Xeons

Intel plans to bring forward the release of dual-core
Xeon processors. Last night the chip giant announced
that 'Paxville', the 90 nanometer dual-core Xeon MP
part will ship later in 2005 instead of 1st quarter of
2006, as originally planned. Intel also said that it
would ship a Xeon DP part based on Paxville later
this year too. The Xeon DP line was scheduled to go
dual-core sometime in 1st half 2006 with the release
of 'Dempsey', the first 65nm Xeon chip.

Intel, however, expects that Paxville will attract mostly early adopters.
The technology is expected to reach a broader audience with the
introduction of the Xeon "Bensley" for servers and "Glidewell" workstation
processors in the 1st quarter of 2006. These chips are expected to be less
expensive. Paxville is expected to be branded the Xeon 7000 line, while
Paxville DP will presumably ship as the Xeon 5000 series, as Dempsey is
expected to be.

The dual core Xeon processors will use 65 nanometre technology. This
requires new chip manufacturing facilities that Intel currently is building
in Oregon and Ireland. Neither Intel nor AMD really want to push dual
core processors until 65 nanometre. If they are producing those on the
same process as the single core, they have a much higher cost.

The decision to shoehorn in a 90nm dual-core Xeon DP part suggests
that Intel feels it needs to deliver dual-core server parts sooner and can't
really afford to wait for the arrival of 65nm technology, if it wants to have
a competitive edge against AMD's successful dual-core Opteron launch.
Intel wants to get product out there to ensure that IT managers evaluating
dual-core server products don't have only AMD kit to look at.