Intel Introduces Xeon 5100 Server Chip

In this photo provided by Intel Corp., Tom Kilroy, vice president of Intel Corp., Digital Enterprise Group, displays Intel's new Dual-Core Xeon Processor 5100 at an event in San Francisco, Monday, June 26, 2006. Intel's Xeon Processor 5100 more than doubles the performance of its previous top-of-the-line server chip while drawing 40 percent less power. (AP Photo/Intel, Court Mast) (Court Mast - AP)

The new Xeons are the first of three new products Intel is rolling out this summer in a bid to regain market share lost to AMD. Over the past few years, Sunnyvale-based AMD, once considered an imitator of Intel, has introduced a host of homegrown technologies that have caused many of its processors, mostly in the server and desktop arena, to outperform those of its larger rival.

In late July, Intel is expected to roll out a new desktop processor based on the new microarchitecture, dubbed "Core." Intel has claimed the Core 2 Duo, which will feature two computing cores, will close the performance gap between its current desktop offerings and AMD's Athlon 64 processor.

A third release for notebook computers is expected in August, analysts say.

Intel has been letting customers test the new Xeon chip, and the response has been largely favorable, some analysts said.

"Intel is clearly far more competitive now than they have been for the last few years," said Nathan Brookwood, an analyst with the research firm Insight 64. "This is a big change and a big plus."

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