Intel confirms Nehalem Xeons imminent
Reeling from revenue declines and even steeper drops in profits in the fourth quarter, Intel confirmed today that it will ship its "Nehalem" Xeon EP processors for two-socket servers before the end of this quarter.
During a briefing with reporters this morning in San Francisco, the chip maker mentioned its Nehalem plans in passing, as it discussed the $7bn it will spend outfitting factories for its upcoming 32nm "Westmere" processors.
The Nehalem EP chips will plunk into two-socket servers based on the "Tylersburg" chipset and will carry the Xeon 5000 series brand. Chips for two-socket servers represent the bulk of Intel's sales for Xeon products, so it is no surprise that Intel would start the Nehalem ramp here. In referring to the Nehalem EP (EP being short for Efficient Platform, and an alternative to the Xeon DP, or Dual Processor, lingo the company has used for years), Stephen Smith, vice president and director of operations at Intel's digital enterprise Group said: "We are currently in production, and we expect to have a system introduction later this quarter. So it is imminent."
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