New processor breaks 1-GHz speed barrier

New processor breaks 1-GHz speed barrier

Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, CA) has shattered the 1-GHz frequency mark for a general-purpose microprocessor. This is the first time a gigahertz frequency has been achieved using a commercial, 0.25-µm Pentium III core. The speed demonstration was shown to more than 1500 industry software and hardware developers attending a recent Intel Developer Forum. Says Albert Yu, senior vice president and general manager, Intel microprocessor products group, "We will continue to push the frontier of technologies that will deliver processors with superior levels of performance and capabilities to meet the demands of the industry, the Internet, and end users.

The speed demonstration consisted of a computer system running a CPU speed meter, which registered a greater than 1-GHz clock speed while running a Microsoft PowerPoint application. Just six years ago, the Intel Pentium microprocessor was running at less than 100 MHz using 0.8-µm process technology. Intel expects to introduce processors this year using its new 0.18-µm process technology. It projects the production of commercial processors operating at 1 GHz at year-end 2000 or early 2001.