Intel halts low-end Timna chip

Intel has abruptly cancelled its entire line of integrated Timna chips for low-end PCs because of further design delays and lack of demand by hardware makers.

Instead the company will focus on expanding its line of integrated graphics chipsets.

The Timna processor was Intel's first integrated chip that combined a processor core, graphics engine and memory controller on one chip, and was expected to ship in the first quarter of next year.

An Intel spokesman said Timna would be replaced by standalone versions of its low-cost Celeron processors, citing "design problems and market conditions", for the decision.

He said there were problems with a necessary companion chip called the Memory Translation Hub that would have required another revision, delaying the delivery date by a month. Problems with the Memory Translator Hub also led to an expensive recall of motherboards based on Intel's 820 chip set earlier this year.

Intel also said its customers told them they didn't need Timna, which was aimed at the sub-$600 PC price range, because that market is already being served by Celeron. Intel's original equipment manufacturers said they were able to make cheaper PCs by combining Celeron with the 810 chip set and other components.

The news follows recent reports that Intel's Pentium 4 processors would not come out until November at the earliest. Although Intel had never announced an official Pentium 4 release date, it was widely expected to launch by late October. Intel officials declined to comment on the speculation.