Intel has unveiled three second generation dual-core
chip prototypes, as it continues to battle AMD in the processor
market.
Dual-core chips have two processing engines on a single slice of
silicon to rapidly increase processing power for applications like
64-bit computing and virtualisation, which enables more than one
operating system to be run on a single platform.
The chip prototypes - Conroe for desktop machines, Merom for
laptops and Woodcrest for lower-end servers - are designed to
eventually replace current fledgling dual-core solutions.
Merom is scheduled to arrive at the end of next year, and the
other two are expected to arrive later.
Intel has already launched dual-core chips for workstations,
although users are still waiting for server solutions, expected by
the end of 2005. AMD recently launched both workstation and server
dual-core chips.
