Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD), Intel Corp's largest competitor, plans to introduce a new microprocessor that will allow personal computers to perform multiple functions at faster speeds.
The quad-core microprocessor for desktop PCs and servers will be released in mid-2007, AMD said at an analyst briefing on Thursday at the company's headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. The new product will contain double the number of processors in the company's current two-way chip.
The microprocessor may assist chief executive officer Hector Ruiz in his efforts to take orders from Intel with more sophisticated, higher-priced chips. AMD said it expects to grab 30 percent of the market for server chips this year, up from a previous forecast for a 20 percent share.
"They are presenting a moving target for Intel," said Roger Kay an analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates in Wayland, Massachusetts. "They are not standing still."
Phil Hester, AMD's chief technology officer, said the design of the new quad-core product will continue an emphasis on balancing performance with energy efficiency, as was done with the company's Opteron server chip.
"We took the smarter approach," Hester said on Thursday.
AMD last quarter grabbed more than 20 percent of the microprocessor market for the first time in four years and in May won business from Dell Inc, breaking the PC maker's exclusive use of Intel chips.
Intel's market share losses to AMD stung the company into action. Chief executive officer Paul Otellini in April said Intel will introduce a new fundamental chip design every two years. The six-year run of its Pentium 4 model and problems with heat generation helped open the door for the adoption of AMD's Opteron.
The Opteron chip has the ability to process data in 64-bit chunks as well as 32 bits, ahead of Intel. The development has improved the performance of corporate networks and gave AMD chips an edge since its introduction in April 2003. Intel's Xeon didn't add 64-bit capability until more than a year later.
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Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique