A fine scoop by the San Jose Mercury apparently confirms the existence of Intel's 64bit Plan B, codenamed Yamhill.
According the Merc, Yamhill adds 64bit instructions to the existing x86 architecture, and may appear in the Prescott chips, "with an option to turn the features on or off." The emphasis is on 'may', as according to the former Yamhill engineer, no decision has been taken to proceed with Plan B.
It's not clear whether this is a new core, or simply new instructions onto the P7 core.
But it makes Itanic a harder sell then it already is: and Compaq and HP, who have pledged to end of life their own 64bit architectures in favour of IA-64, may well be wondering if they pulled the trigger too soon.
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