Itanium 'will kick butt', says Intel

Intel has attempted to inject new life into its troubled Itanium platform by announcing its roadmap for the next three years.

Mike Fister, vice president and general manager of the chipmaker's Enterprise Platforms Group, outlined the 64-bit plan, including details of its Deerfield, Madison, and Montecito processors.

He explained that the next generation of Itanium, codenamed McKinley, was "on track for platform release this summer".

"I'm going to prove that Itanium kicks butt," Fister told delegates during a keynote speech at the Intel Developers' Forum in San Francisco on Monday (25 February). "You ain't seen nothing yet."

The chip, co-developed with Hewlett Packard, has already cost $1bn to create, but has so far seen an uninspiring reaction from the industry. To date, only 2,500 Itanium-based servers have been shipped.

Intel is expected to roll out its next 64-bit chip, the Deerfield, next year, which is a bargain basement processor based on 0.13-micron process technology mirroring the Celeron chip in the 32-bit arena, said Fister.

At the same time, the company will ship the 0.13-micron Madison, which is a higher-end chip. In 2004, it will drop down to 0.09-micron technology, releasing the Montecito.