Intel Starts Shipping Dual-Core Chips To OEMs

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip giant is rolling out Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 64-bit dual-core processors with the Intel 955 chipset to OEM customers. The news came during a presentation by Abhi Talwalkar, vice president and general manager of the Intel Digital Enterprise Group, an Intel spokeswoman said.

Intel expects OEMs and system builders to imminently begin shipping systems based on the processor and chipset. Among the first PC makers to announce systems based on the technology was Dell, Round Rock, Texas, which said it would offer desktops with the new dual-core chips upon launch.

Intel has not yet announced a launch date or pricing. The Intel spokeswoman said the company also was on track to begin shipping a second dual-core chip, the Pentium D, later in the second quarter.