Intel prepares roadmap for 1000 MHz processor

Intel Corporation is again tooting the horn of progress as it disclosedmore information about its future plans, including processors that will hitand eventually exceed 1000 MHz.

In the near future, Intel's server and home desktop offerings will splitinto the "Foster" and "Willamette" chipsets, respectively. Foster CPUs areexpected to hit 1000 MHz or higher by the time they are released in 2000 or2001. Both Foster and Willamette lines are 32-bit designs, like the currentPentium II family members, though they differ in many respects from thecurrent generation. For example, both Foster and Willamette chips will have cache that is integrated directly onto the processor.

A radically different 64-bit design, Merced, will be followed by the McKinley. The McKinley will be made with a 0.13 micron process, compared tothe current chips, which use a 0.25 micron process. In general, the smallerthe size, the faster--and cooler--the chip can be. McKinley chips areexpected to start at about 1000 MHz as well, but run at least twice asfast as comparable Merced chips.

In the short-term, however, Intel will also introduce two new members tothe current generation of Pentium II chips, the "Tanner" and "Cascades"CPUs. Tanner is a Pentium II with MMX-2 instructions, while Cascades addsMMX-2 capabilities to the Pentium II Xeon line. They will both be availablein 1999