Intel Corporation today announced the brand name for the second-generation Itanium� processor, to be called the Intel� Itanium 2 processor. Formerly code-named McKinley, the Itanium 2 processor will be the second in a family of 64-bit products from Intel that bring the performance and volume economics of the Intel Architecture to the most demanding segments of computing. The Itanium processor family enables a broad choice of reliable platforms and applications for high-end servers and workstations at significantly lower costs and greater performance than proprietary offerings. "The Itanium brand connotes a new level of capability for high-end enterprise computing," said Pam Pollace, vice president and director, Worldwide Marketing. "The Itanium 2 name extends this to the next-generation of the Itanium processor family." Through processor design innovations, Itanium 2-based systems are expected to deliver 1.5 to 2 times the performance of today's Itanium-based systems, and even greater performance versus RISC-based systems in key enterprise-class applications. The Itanium 2 processor is scheduled for mid-year release.