Intel chipset to fix flaws

Having admitted flaws in Pentium Pro chipsets, Intel is now stating that a new version of this chipset--which fixes these flaws--will be the platform the company uses to launch its long-awaited Pentium Pro server assault.

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor

Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.

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Brooke Crothers

March 5, 1996 7:30 a.m. PT

The new "B" version is "in the hands of [vendors] and they are qualifying it for servers," said Jerry Budelman, a general manager at Intel's Pentium Pro division.

Intel expects to see server roll-outs--including multiprocessor servers--either late in the first quarter or in the second quarter, Budelman said. This new B version of the chipset is important because it will finally allow vendors to bring out server products that exploit the full potential of the Pentium Pro platform.

The Pentium Pro was designed by Intel as a processor to shine in server environments. This server-centric design is based on a high-speed bus for multiprocessor configurations, an architecture optimized for 32-bit applications, and a large integrated level-2 cache.

Though Intel does not disclose customer names, companies such as IBM, Compaq, AST Research, and Data General have stated plans to bring out Pentium Pro servers in the first half of this year.

Intel continues to ship the flawed "A" version of the chipset for workstations, but the company says most vendors have included a hardware workaround for the problem.