Intel Launches Quad-Core Itanium 9300 Series Processor
The chip, a 64-bit processor designed for enterprise servers and high-performance computing systems, was slated to be released in early 2009, but Intel delayed the release, saying only that it was undergoing application scalability enhancements. A second delay was announced in May.
Intel may have taken more time than expected, but it said companies, especially Hewlett-Packard, which helped develop the architecture, will benefit from enhancements.
The boost in processing power is what Global 100 companies are seeking, according to Intel. Currently, the Itanium platform is running mission-critical applications for 80 percent of Global 100 businesses. The processor offers 800 percent more system interconnect bandwidth, up to a 500 percent increase in memory bandwidth, and up to 700 percent more memory capacity.
Better Late Than Never
Microsoft, Red Hat, Novell and others praised Intel's new processor.
"Microsoft's Windows Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server 2008 support the Itanium architecture," said Ted Kummert, senior vice president of Microsoft's Business Platform Division. "Together with the new features in the Intel Itanium processor 9300 series, Microsoft will provide a platform for businesses to run their mission-critical transaction processing, data warehousing, and business intelligence applications with high levels of reliability and scalability."
Powerful servers will be needed because there will be a 650 percent increase in IT data processing over the next five years, according to a recent Gartner report.
The French Family Allowance Service said it will be able to consolidate multiple data centers into one because of the Itanium 9300's additional throughput and performance.
The processor also handles error corrections across a company's hardware, firmware and operating systems. It improves system...