Intel To Highlight Long-Term Goals

Hoping to maintain a steady attendance of 4,000 developers, an Intel executive said the chip maker also plans to provide more details about its upcoming Xeon server processors based on its Pentium 4 technology.

Pat Gelsinger, vice president and CTO of Intel and head of its corporate technology group, said he promises to offer a keynote speech that focuses on extending the reach of Intel silicon beyond servers, desktops and laptops.

"I'm going to give a very different keynote talking about very long-term directions," Gelsinger said. "I'm going to talk about expanding Moore's Law. Instead of more transistors, what we're going to talk about is how we're going to expand our silicon into entirely new areas."

Among other things, Intel plans to provide additional details about its plans for its XScale technology, its evolving platform for high-performance mobile and voice/data devices.

"We're taking the XScale core and applying it to wireless and handheld [platforms," Gelsinger said. "There will be some pretty dramatic improvements for the whole product line overall," he said.

Intel executives also plan to discuss new trends in software development, with a focus on Web services and how to support hyperthreading.

"They give us road maps on a fairly regular basis," said Jim Estill, president and CEO of EMJ Data Systems, a white-box solution provider based in Guelph, Ontario. "What I really want to know is what they can't tell me," he said, alluding to business and technology issues Intel isn't yet ready to discuss publicly.

Aside from future technology vision, Estill said he hopes for additional pronouncements from Intel on a more basic issue: the chip maker's ongoing strategy for reducing prices.

The forum is slated for Feb. 25-28 and will be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.