Intel today launched the next generation Dual-Core Itanium 2 processor - codenamed Montecito - designed for high-end 64bit computing platforms.
The Dual-Core Itanium 2 processor has double the performance with lower energy requirements, improving performance per watt by 2.5 times compared to the single-core Itanium.
The Itanium 2 9050 model features two complete processing cores and nearly triples the cache or memory reservoir versus Intel’s previous generation at 1.6GHz 24M 533/400 MHz. It also can execute four instructions or threads per processor enhanced by Intel’s Hyper-Threading Technology
Supporting the Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2 processor 9000 series are two rack-optimized Intel server systems: SR870BH2 and SR870BN4. These server systems provide the optimum performance, reliability and expandability that scalable business solutions and mission-critical applications demand and are available today to OEMs and systems integrators for enterprise and high-performance computing.
All server-maker members of the Itanium Solutions Alliance (ISA) will launch new Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2 Processor 9000 series-based products.
SQL Server 2005 on a 64-bit Platform and Windows Server 2005 64 on the new dual-core, multi-threaded Itanium 2 processor will provide exceptional performance, scalability and reliability to enterprise customers with database workloads and line of business applications - Bob Muglia, senior vice president of Server and Tools at Microsoft. Microsoft is resolute in its support of the Itanium architecture, today and in the future.
Now we’ll have to wait and see if someone can construct the ultimate Super Computer using stacks of Intel’s Dual-Core Itanium 2 processors to smash all the worlds records and then we’ll know that the promise of Itanium has been realized.