Chips from Intel and a new version of Windows set the stage for advances
The long-awaited era of 64-bit computing finally may be here. Intel last week introduced a line of 64-bit Xeon processors for the multiprocessor-server market that sets a new level of computing performance and is expected to launch a wave of software development to take advantage of the greater speed the processors provide.
The Xeon MP processors complete Intel's conversion of its server-processor portfolio to 64-bit capabilities, with the Itanium processor at the high end. Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s 64-bit Opteron processors have been available for two years. Intel's Xeon MP and AMD's Opteron provide the foundation for a transition from the x86 standard to a new 64-bit computing market. Intel and the major computer makers are even changing their nomenclature, using "x64" to describe 64-bit chips that run the x86 instruction set. Intel's Itanium chip handles 64 bits at a time but doesn't run x86 instructions natively.
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