Hannaman 1
Intel Continues to Lead in Computer Technology
Page 4.10 of the text discusses a very important company in the computer industry: Intel. Today Intel is known as the largest producer of computer chips. Electronics/computer technology entrepreneurs Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce first started the company in 1968. The fruits of their labor were obvious in 1970 with the release of their very first computer chip. Today Intel continues to go strong with over 70,000 employees and covering over 40 countries. In 2001 Intel’s net revenues exceeded $ 26,539 million dollars.[1]
Intel currently has a number of projects going for them. First up is their research in developing silicon-based opto-electronics devices for the telecommunications industry. Essentially this piece of hardware would make a higher capacity network with out raising prices drastically. Next up is their Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography project. This project will allow them to make chips that will have larger storage capacities than any others on the market today and will allow other chips to reach speeds of over 10 Ghz (Gigahertz). They can do this by using light that is reflected off of mirrors to create the needed patterns on the silicon chips. Hyper Threading is yet another new technique that the company is working on developing. This will allow processors to operate nearly 30% more efficiently. This process will make a single physical processor appear to be two processors this will allow it to execute two threads in parallel.[2]
Intel’s contributions have not solely been to desktop computers though; newer technologies are currently being developed for implementation into new cellular telephones.
Some of their best-known products include the Pentium and Celeron processors.
The newer processors like the Intel Pentium 4 have the capacity to let you simulate a 200-channel audio mixer in software.[3]
Intel Has for quite some time has been foremost leader in Central Processing Units (CPUs). Intel has set the standard by which the other leading manufactures of Central Processing Units look up to. Such companies as AMD are always in close competition to keep up with the highly innovative and efficient developments in this field made by Intel.
Intel has twice stunned the world by creating what many said would never happen. This first such incident occurred in the mid 1990’s with the invention of the first Pentium processor. Which very shortly after its creation broke the 100 Mhz (megahertz) that was commonly believed to be a barrier that could not be passed. Then a second time Intel was told “It’s Impossible,” “It can not be done.” But once more Intel did not listen around the year 2000 Intel revealed it 1 Ghz (Gigahertz) Processor to the world. Once again the barrier was broken.
Intel opened up its very own museum in 1983 to document the company’s many achievements. Originally the museum was actually closed to the public and open only to employees but as time went on the museum grew and changed and eventually moved to a larger facility where it was then open to the public.
Aside from producing chips Intel is also known for producing items such as:
· Microprocessors
· Bus Technologies
· Network Technology
· Memory
· Software
Vocabulary for this section:Chips / Small piece of semi-conducting material, usually no bigger than one half-inch square, on which integrated circuits are etched.
Gigahertz / One billion ticks of the system clock.
CPUs / Central Processing Unit. Component of the system that interprets and carries out the basic instructions that operate a computer.
http://www.byte.com/documents/BYT20010103S0001/
Shelley, Gary B. and Thomas J. Cashman, Misty E. Vermaat. Discovering Computers 2002. Thomson Learning: Boston, 2001.
http://www.intel.com
Project1.doc
[1] Shelley, Gary B. and Thomas J. Cashman, Misty E. Vermaat. Discovering Computers 2002. Thomson Learning: Boston, 2001.
[2] http://www.intel.com
[3] http://www.byte.com/documents/BYT20010103S0001/