Intel's processor roadmap for uni-processor servers changed recently, according to sources at Taiwan motherboard makers. Intel will roll out a new server-use CPU series - the Xeon 3000 CPU family - in the middle of August, to replace the current dual-core Pentium D CPUs that the chip giant is currently shipping for the uni-processor server segment, indicated the sources.
Intel has followed the Taiwan industry's so-called "DeskTop on Server (DToS)" project, by enabling its dual-core desktop processors to be available also for its uni-processor server product line, the sources noted. The dual-core Conroe processors were originally planned to start replacing the Pentium D series from the third quarter of 2006, the sources said. However, the "DToS" scheme has effectively been removed from Intel's latest roadmap, by positioning the "Xeon 3000" entry-level CPU family as Intel's next-generation uni-processor server offering, according to the sources.
The abandoned "DToS" strategy would help to better differentiate between Intel's server-use processors and the desktop parts, the sources commented. In an attempt to compete against AMD's Opteron, Intel began releasing part of its desktop-use dual-core processor line for uni-processor server applications, as of the end of 2005, resulting in more adoption by small-to-medium enterprises, the sources indicated. The successful "DToS" strategy then encouraged AMD to add the Opteron 1xx series, the sources noted.
In addition, Intel will launch a lineup of entry-level chipsets to support the Xeon 3000 processor series for uni-processor servers - the 3000/ 3010 chipset family (codenamed Mukilteco) - in the middle of August, according to the sources. In addition to the uni-processor server application, Intel's new entry-level chipsets will also be used in NetBurst-architecture desktop platforms including the Pentium 4, Pentium D, Pentium XE and Celeron series, but will not support its Core 2 Duo processors, indicated the sources.
| Intel's current CPU applications, as aligned with Taiwan industry project names | |||
| Project | MoDT (Mobile on DeskTop) | DToM (DeskTop on Mobile) | DToS |
| Processor | Merom/ Yonah | Conroe | Presler |
| Chipset | 945GT/ GM | 965 | E7230 |
| Concept | To implement notebook-use processors and chipsets within desktop applications, a small-form-factor (SFF) PC design approach | Desktop-use Conroe for notebooks | To compete with Opteron by ultilizing low-cost desktop CPUs in servers |
Source: Market sources, compiled by DigiTimes, June 2006




