The Giga Battle
by
Steve Mandeson
Some months ago, for the first time a microprocessor maker launched a processor that runs at 1000 MHz or 1 GHz. AMD reached a computer industry milestone, announcing commencement of shipments of the new 1GHz AMD Athlon processor. Two days later the competitor of AMD, Intel Corporation, introduced the 1GHz Intel Pentium III processor and suddenly a big technological event became a soap opera "The Giga Battle".
"The commencement of commercial shipments of 1GHz AMD Athlon processors is a watershed event not only for AMD, but also for the personal computer industry," said W.J. Sanders III, chairman and chief executive officer of AMD. "Attaining the 1GHz performance mark has long been a paramount goal for producers of PC processors. Introduction of a PC processor capable of executing one billion clock cycles per second is our industry's equivalent of breaking the sound barrier. Just as the achievement of Chuck Yeager signaled the beginning of a new era
in aviation, the 1GHz processor ushers in a new era of information technology. AMD plans to lead in the gigahertz era.
"Today's announcement validates our strategic investment in process technology, product development and productive capacity over the past several years. The 1GHz AMD Athlon processor would not have been possible without AMD's steadfast commitment. As always, our customers' success is our success. While this is a significant event for AMD, the real beneficiaries of our efforts are PC users everywhere," continued Sanders.
Two days later, Intel did it again. "Intel's Pentium III processor operating at 1.0 GHz is the highest performance microprocessor for PCs, enabling Intel's customers to ship the fastest personal computers in the world," said Paul Otellini, executive vice president and general manager of the Intel Architecture Business Group. "Intel continues to provide the best performance today and we have a microprocessor roadmap that will continue to keep our customers at the forefront of technology in the future."
But unfortunately nobody remembers who got there second.
"Every schoolchild recognizes Neil Armstrong as the first man to walk on the moon, Roger Bannister as the first to run the four-minute mile, and Edmund Hillary as the first to scale Mt. Everest. Nobody remembers who got there second. Today's launch of the 1GHz AMD Athlon processor permanently secures AMD's place in the record books. In the nine months since it launched its first AMD Athlon processor, AMD has dramatically quickened the pace of performance improvement and permanently altered the competitive landscape in the microprocessor industry. Congratulations on a job well done," said Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight 64.
You rather want to smile about the comedian touch. At least there was something positive, both CPU-makers dropped their prices. Even if you don't need a Giga CPU right now, "The Giga Battle" is making processors even cheaper. Waiting for "The Giga Battle 2", remember to buy a cheap CPU today, don't spend a lot of money for the latest technology, especially when you know that after six months the same piece of hardware will be sold for the half of today's price.
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