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Intel has recently demonstrated its commitment to meeting customer demand for its products by introducing three different versions of its latest 0.25 micron, P6 microarchitecture based, processor technology. A fourth version is also waiting in the wings! Each product is designed specifically for one of the growing segments of the PC industry. A new 350- or 400-MHz Pentium® II processor with a 100MHz system bus supports professional desktop users in business, PC enthusiasts in the home, and entry-level servers and workstations. A specially packaged Pentium II processor brings 233- and 266-MHz computing power into the mobile segment. And finally, the 266-MHz Intel® Celeron™ processor supports the basic PC, with a new Intel® Architecture brand for both home and business users.
Many people have asked, "what will I possibly need all this performance for?" I remind them of similar questions when Intel first introduced the i386™ processor, the Intel486™ processor and the Pentium processor. Processing power is about adding capability and masking complexity. New applications are enabled with the additional performance of these P6 microarchitecture-based platforms—things not possible before, and some applications not even thought of yet, will become available to more and more users. A recent trend in business desktops, for example, is "constant computing."
Fuelled by the massive data resources and pervasive communication capability of the World Wide Web, a user can write agent scripts that search for precise information, or monitor real-world variables such as the weather or stock market, or propagate messages and information to other offices. These scripts run in the background while the user is creating presentations, dictating memos into a word processor, or viewing spreadsheets with 3D data visualization. The IT department can also write agent scripts that detect and protect against viruses, monitor the health of the Enterprise, or perform automatic software backups and updates. Much of the drudgery of running the business is being moved to computers while the users can focus on creativity and making money! Multiple computers are constantly exchanging and calculating data on the user's behalf, who is alerted if any "out-of-bounds" situations occur. The user, and the Enterprise, become more efficient and productive since the desktop PC has the performance to keep pace with the speed of business.
Constant computing on the business desktop will also place increased demands on more servers—fortunately these will also benefit from Intel's introduction of the 350- and 400-MHz Pentium II processors. And business users are not the only ones who will benefit from this higher performance level. Similar examples can be found in the home where the performance of the PC platform will allow it to concurrently decompress video and audio streams, monitor the home security system, manage the home phone network and scan the Internet, while simultaneously playing a speech-driven, highly interactive 3D game.
I don't see the demand for more performance ebbing anytime soon. There are still many things businesses and consumers would like to do, such as end-to-end data encryption and knowledge-based information management, as a few more examples of transparent, constant computing tasks. These new applications will continue to require more processor performance, and Intel will continue to deliver this performance on a Moore's Law schedule.
Paul Otellini is responsible for Intel Architecture businesses and strategies. Reporting to him are Intel's computing business units including the Business Platform Group, the Consumer Products Group, the Mobile and Handheld Products Group, and the Enterprise Server Group.
For More Information
Intel is also enabling the industry with platform building blocks to provide balanced Platform Solutions that take full advantage of the new 350- and 400-MHz Pentium II processors, including implementation of the new 100-MHz system bus.
Read the top stories in this issue of Platform Solutions for more details:
Processors for Multiple Segments:
New 350/400-MHz Pentium II Processors Leading the Way—by Richard Dracott
Delivering the 100-MHz Performance Platform—by Sunil Kumar
100-MHz System Bus Interconnect Design—by Howard Heck
Standard High-Volume (SHV) Servers:
The Platform for Internet Deployment—by Rick Echevarria
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* Legal Information © 1998 Intel Corporation
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