Intel Launches New Xeon MP

Intel's Xeon multiprocessor chip will be priced at $1,177 for the 1.5GHz version, $1,980 for the 1.9GHz version and $3,692 for the 2GHz version. All prices are based on 1,000-unit quantities.

"Don't interpret that [this launch moves everything ahead," said Lisa Graff, vice president of server product marketing at Intel, based here. "We're hitting the rest of our products on all cylinders. We'll just do more of it. We haven't given any other [road map specifics besides that at this time."

Intel is slated to launch the 3GHz version of its Pentium 4 processor next week, thereby meeting Intel President Paul Otellini's prediction from last year that the high-performing chip would be available by the end of 2002.

The new Xeon MP chip provides performance enhancements, including double the integrated L3 cache. It's also the first multiprocessor chip from Intel to be based on the .13-micron manufacturing process, the company said.

Systems builders are showing increased interest in four-way systems--solutions that give them "access to a higher-end market and the ability to have more scaling and more headroom," Graff said.

With the introduction of the new Xeon, and next week's rollout of the 3GHz Pentium 4, Intel has signaled that it will drop prices across its product line as it heads into the home stretch of the fourth quarter. The new Xeon MP chips are priced the same as the existing Xeon processors at a lower clock speed.