AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 16, 2008 - More supercomputers than ever are using Intel Corporation processors, according to the latest TOP500 list. The high performance computing (HPC) community is especially enthusiastic about quad-core Intel® Xeon® processors which are driving the research and analytical capabilities of more than half the systems on the list. The 32nd edition of the TOP500 list shows that 379 of the world's top 500 systems, including the third-fastest system in the world, now have Intel inside. According to the list, Intel is powering 49 systems in the top 100. Systems using Intel® Xeon® quad-core processors dominate the list, holding 288 spots. Using reinvented high-k metal gate transistors, Intel's year-old quad-core 45nm Intel® Xeon® processor 5400 series is used in 222 systems, including 32 powered by low voltage variants. Intel-based super computing platforms are playing a pivotal role in a number of research areas, from improving the safety of space exploration to forecasting global climate conditions. More "mainstream" industries, such as financial services and health care, are also using Intel-based systems to achieve faster, more accurate results, to speed the pace of innovation and improve competitive advantage. In addition to hardware, Intel is delivering to the HPC community a wide range of software tools, including compilers and MPI libraries, which help customers maximize multicore processing and improve the efficiency of clustered solutions. Approximately 75 percent of systems in the Top500 are using Intel software tools. "We're proud that Intel processors and software tools are playing a significant role in driving the world's most important scientific research and advancements," said Kirk Skaugen, vice president and general manager of Intel's Server Platforms Group. "With our multi-core innovation powering so many systems on the TOP500, it's clear that Intel is committed to pushing the boundaries of supercomputing." Over the past year, Intel has gained significant momentum in high-performance computing, signaled by major collaborations with Cray Supercomputer and NASA. Intel and Cray plan to develop a range of HPC systems and technologies driven by multi-core processing and advanced interconnects. Meanwhile, Intel, SGI and NASA are collaborating on Pleiades, a super computing project which is the No. 3 system on the list, and will enable groundbreaking scientific discovery with a goal of reaching 1 PetaFLOPS in 2009, and 10 PetaFLOPS (or 10,000 trillion operations per second) by 2012. The semi-annual TOP500 list of supercomputers is the work of Hans Meuer of the University of Mannheim, Erich Strohmaier and Horst Simon of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, and Jack Dongarra of the University of Tennessee. The complete report is available at www.top500.org.
Intel added warnings in its quarterly filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission about how the deteriorating economic conditions worldwide may negatively affect its business. "The recent financial crisis could negatively affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition," Intel wrote in its 10Q filing, published by the SEC on Friday. Intel spells out how the credit crunch in particular could affect the company: "There could be a number of follow-on effects from the credit crisis on Intel's business, including insolvency of key suppliers resulting in product delays; inability of customers to obtain credit to finance purchases of our products and/or customer insolvencies; counterparty failures negatively impacting our treasury operations; increased expense or inability to obtain short-term financing of Intel's operations from the issuance of commercial paper; and increased impairments from the inability of investee companies to obtain financing." The warnings echo nearly identical language in Intel's third-quarter earnings report, released Oct. 14. During a conference call two weeks ago to discuss the earnings report, executives focused mainly on how the worldwide economic problems might affect demand for Intel products, without discussing much about how the credit crisis might affect its suppliers or companies Intel invests in. The executives said they were concerned but were also optimistic. "I'm of the opinion that technology will do well during this downturn, for the simple fact that we sell tools of productivity," said Paul Otellini, Intel's president and CEO, during the call. In 10Q filings, public companies typically detail risks, sometimes dire, that they face. But it's notable that Intel has added new language about the economic downturn. In the filing, Intel also reiterated plans to issue an unusual mid-quarter business update on Dec. 4, in part because the company has struggled to predict demand given the economic conditions. "The higher chipset revenue we experienced in the third quarter would normally be a sign that customers are building ahead of a strong fourth quarter," the company wrote in the 10Q. "However, with the current macroeconomic environment, it is hard to discern what demand will be for the fourth quarter of 2008." Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/153165/.html?tk=rss_news
Putting Intel's Moorestown chip package inside a future version of the iPhone would make the smart phone less secure, according to an independent security researcher. "That will make the iPhone x86 and that will make a lot of attacks easier," said Dino Dai Zovi, an independent security researcher, in an interview at the Hack In The Box security conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Due for release in 2009 or 2010, Moorestown is a chip package designed for smart phones and other handheld computers. The heart of the package is an upcoming version of Intel's Atom's processor, an inexpensive low-power x86 processor. Apple has never said it intends to use Moorestown in future products, but Intel is widely believed to be hopeful that Apple will adopt the chip package. "The iPhone uses the Arm processor and most people are not familiar with it," Dai Zovi said, noting that x86 processors are familiar territory for malware writers and hackers looking for vulnerabilities. "If you're doing exploits and vulnerability research, you need to know the specifics of the processor that's running," he said. Dai Zovi is a well-recognized figure in computer security circles and is widely known for winning a 2007 hacking contest that involved hacking into a MacBook Pro laptop. The feat by Dai Zovi and partner Shane Macaulay won them the MacBook Pro as well as a US$10,000 prize, and laid to rest popular misconceptions that MacOS X was somehow immune from the type of security vulnerabilities that affect Windows-based computers. Intel executives declined to comment on Dai Zovi's remarks, saying any discussion of a Moorestown-based iPhone is purely hypothetical. In addition, they said Intel's policy is to decline comment on other companies' products. MacOS X is seen as generally safer than Windows, because the small market share of MacOS X means most malware writers and hackers choose to focus their efforts on Windows instead. But that could change as iPhone sales boost the number of MacOS X users. "The iPhone is another OS X platform and whereas now the market share for OS X is definitely under 10 percent on desktops, on smart phones they recently sold more phones than RIM," Dai Zovi said, referring to the maker of the BlackBerry line of handheld devices. The iPhone runs a slimmed-down version of MacOS X, the operating system used in Apple's desktop and laptop computers. As a result, some of the security features that are included in the desktop version of MacOS X are not included in the phone version. "The iPhone is significantly less secure than the desktop version of OS X," Dai Zovi said. Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/153111/.html?tk=rss_news
Intel and the Taiwan government plan to open a development center to further the Linux-based Moblin OS for devices such as netbooks and mobile Internet devices (MIDs), they jointly announced on Thursday. Intel, the world's largest chip maker, created Moblin to use with devices that run on Intel Atom microprocessors. The open source software includes a Linux kernel, a user interface, a browser, developer tools and other resources that Intel will continue to optimize as part of the agreement with the Taiwan government. The new development center will be based in Taiwan so local device makers, including Acer and Asustek Computer, can make use of the software in their products. Netbooks made by the two companies, for example, come with either Microsoft Windows XP or a Linux OS currently. The new Moblin center aims to become a widely used OS for devices such as these and smaller gadgets that allow people wireless access to the Internet. "The hottest thing going on in the computer industry today is the netbook phenomenon, and it started in Taiwan," said Intel CEO Paul Otellini at a news conference in Taipei. The new Moblin development center will open in December, said Yiin Chii-ming, Taiwan's Minister of Economic Affairs. The joint effort appears to be a swipe at Microsoft. Taiwanese companies in particular have called for the development of a community based around the Linux OS for netbooks because of Microsoft's plan to retire Windows XP in favor of Vista. Vista is a problem in smaller devices because it requires more expensive components than XP, which would raise the price of a netbook. It also boots-up and runs slower on such devices compared to XP and Linux OS offerings. Linux is also less expensive due to easier hardware requirements and there is no license fee for the OS. Microsoft has worked to make XP available for netbooks and other devices, even extending XP's life beyond traditional norms for the company. XP will continue to be sold on certain systems meant for businesses until June 30, 2009, and on ultra-low cost PCs through June 30, 2010. The company has also tweaked XP to run on the One Laptop Per Child association's XO laptop. The XO was designed around a Linux OS. Despite the efforts, an XP license still makes netbooks and other low-cost laptops more expensive than Linux models. In addition, some companies have complained about Microsoft rules requiring them to use XP only in netbooks that fit certain requirements, such as limiting the screen size to 10 inches large and not allowing touchscreens. They also want Microsoft to support XP beyond its promised dates. Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/153040/intel_linux.html?tk=rss_news
At WePC.com, Consumers Spark Global Conversations to Dream Up the Ideal Notebook, Netbook and Gaming PCs SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 29, 2008 - Consumers become product designers at WePC.com, a Web site launched today by Intel Corporation and ASUS. WePC.com is where consumers can collaborate with each other and with Intel and ASUS to design innovative new products. The plan is for the two companies to deliver to market what could be the world's first community-designed PCs. WePC.com will enable a global conversation about the ideal elements of PCs. Visitors to the site can share ideas, vote on submitted concepts and engage in discussions with other community members about the qualities of the "dream" PC. "Intel believes the spark for innovation can come from anywhere," said Mike Hoefflinger, general manager of Intel's Partner Marketing Group. "That's why Intel is working with ASUS to tap into the creative energy of consumers as they share ideas on designing their ideal PC. Intel is committed to encouraging conversations with consumers and giving people a voice in the design of technology they use every day." "ASUS and Intel have created WePC.com in an effort to bridge innovation and technology with consumers' wishes," said Lillian Lin, director of ASUS' Marketing Planning Division. "ASUS strives to provide the best user experience with our products. By empowering WePC.com users to play a role in the design process, we expect to deliver cutting-edge community-designed products that address a consumer vision of the dream PC." The community will be divided into three conversation groups, addressing three of the most popular consumer PC categories: netbooks, notebooks and gaming notebooks. Intel and ASUS hope to bring to market a consumer-inspired product that simplifies and enhances computing needs with Intel and ASUS technology in each category. The PCs will be powered by Intel® Atom™, Intel® Centrino® 2 and Intel® Centrino® 2 Extreme processors. Prizes will be rewarded to select participants for their creative role in this project. Details on prizes will be announced at a later date.
Memristor circuits lead to ultrasmall PCs. Intel and AMD unleash massively multicore CPUs. Samsung TVs respond to your every gesture. These and other developing technologies will fundamentally change the way you think about--and use--technology.The Next Big thing? The memristor, a microscopic component that can "remember" electrical states even when turned off. It's expected to be far cheaper and faster than flash storage. A theoretical concept since 1971, it has now been built in labs and is already starting to revolutionize everything we know about computing, possibly making flash memory, RAM, and even hard drives obsolete within a decade. The memristor is just one of the incredible technological advances sending shock waves through the world of computing. Other innovations in the works are more down-to-earth, but they also carry watershed significance. From the technologies that finally make paperless offices a reality to those that deliver wireless power, these advances should make your humble PC a far different beast come the turn of the decade. In the following sections, we outline the basics of 15 upcoming technologies, with predictions on what may come of them. Some are breathing down our necks; some advances are still just out of reach. And all have to be reckoned with. Memristor: A Groundbreaking New Circuit32-Core CPUs From Intel and AMDNehalem and Swift Chips Spell the End of Stand-Alone Graphics BoardsUSB 3.0 Speeds Up Performance on External DevicesWireless Power Transmission64-Bit Computing Allows for More RAMWindows 7: It's InevitableGoogle's Desktop OSGesture-Based Remote ControlRadical Simplification Hits the TV BusinessCurtains for DRMUse Any Phone on Any Wireless NetworkYour Fingers Do Even More WalkingCell Phones Are the New PaperWhere You At? Ask Your Phone, Not Your Friend25 Years of PredictionsThe Future of Your PC's Hardware
Memristor: A Groundbreaking New Circuit 
Photograph: Courtesy of HP Since the dawn of electronics, we've had only three types of circuit components--resistors, inductors, and capacitors. But in 1971, UC Berkeley researcher Leon Chua theorized the possibility of a fourth type of component, one that would be able to measure the flow of electric current: the memristor. Now, just 37 years later, Hewlett-Packard has built one.
What is it? As its name implies, the memristor can "remember" how much current has passed through it. And by alternating the amount of current that passes through it, a memristor can also become a one-element circuit component with unique properties. Most notably, it can save its electronic state even when the current is turned off, making it a great candidate to replace today's flash memory.
Memristors will theoretically be cheaper and far faster than flash memory, and allow far greater memory densities. They could also replace RAM chips as we know them, so that, after you turn off your computer, it will remember exactly what it was doing when you turn it back on, and return to work instantly. This lowering of cost and consolidating of components may lead to affordable, solid-state computers that fit in your pocket and run many times faster than today's PCs. Someday the memristor could spawn a whole new type of computer, thanks to its ability to remember a range of electrical states rather than the simplistic "on" and "off" states that today's digital processors recognize. By working with a dynamic range of data states in an analog mode, memristor-based computers could be capable of far more complex tasks than just shuttling ones and zeroes around.
When is it coming? Researchers say that no real barrier prevents implementing the memristor in circuitry immediately. But it's up to the business side to push products through to commercial reality. Memristors made to replace flash memory (at a lower cost and lower power consumption) will likely appear first; HP's goal is to offer them by 2012. Beyond that, memristors will likely replace both DRAM and hard disks in the 2014-to-2016 time frame. As for memristor-based analog computers, that step may take 20-plus years.
32-Core CPUs From Intel and AMD
Photograph: Courtesy of Intel If your CPU has only a single core, it's officially a dinosaur. In fact, quad-core computing is now commonplace; you can even get laptop computers with four cores today. But we're really just at the beginning of the core wars: Leadership in the CPU market will soon be decided by who has the most cores, not who has the fastest clock speed.
What is it? With the gigahertz race largely abandoned, both AMD and Intel are trying to pack more cores onto a die in order to continue to improve processing power and aid with multitasking operations. Miniaturizing chips further will be key to fitting these cores and other components into a limited space. Intel will roll out 32-nanometer processors (down from today's 45nm chips) in 2009.
When is it coming? Intel has been very good about sticking to its road map. A six-core CPU based on the Itanium design should be out imminently, when Intel then shifts focus to a brand-new architecture called Nehalem, to be marketed as Core i7. Core i7 will feature up to eight cores, with eight-core systems available in 2009 or 2010. (And an eight-core AMD project called Montreal is reportedly on tap for 2009.)
After that, the timeline gets fuzzy. Intel reportedly canceled a 32-core project called Keifer, slated for 2010, possibly because of its complexity (the company won't confirm this, though). That many cores requires a new way of dealing with memory; apparently you can't have 32 brains pulling out of one central pool of RAM. But we still expect cores to proliferate when the kinks are ironed out: 16 cores by 2011 or 2012 is plausible (when transistors are predicted to drop again in size to 22nm), with 32 cores by 2013 or 2014 easily within reach. Intel says "hundreds" of cores may come even farther down the line.
Nehalem and Swift Chips Spell the End of Stand-Alone Graphics Boards When AMD purchased graphics card maker ATI, most industry observers assumed that the combined company would start working on a CPU-GPU fusion. That work is further along than you may think.
What is it? While GPUs get tons of attention, discrete graphics boards are a comparative rarity among PC owners, as 75 percent of laptop users stick with good old integrated graphics, according to Mercury Research. Among the reasons: the extra cost of a discrete graphics card, the hassle of installing one, and its drain on the battery. Putting graphics functions right on the CPU eliminates all three issues.
Chip makers expect the performance of such on-die GPUs to fall somewhere between that of today's integrated graphics and stand-alone graphics boards--but eventually, experts believe, their performance could catch up and make discrete graphics obsolete. One potential idea is to devote, say, 4 cores in a 16-core CPU to graphics processing, which could make for blistering gaming experiences.
When is it coming? Intel's soon-to-come Nehalem chip includes graphics processing within the chip package, but off of the actual CPU die. AMD's Swift (aka the Shrike platform), the first product in its Fusion line, reportedly takes the same design approach, and is also currently on tap for 2009.
Putting the GPU directly on the same die as the CPU presents challenges--heat being a major one--but that doesn't mean those issues won't be worked out. Intel's two Nehalem follow-ups, Auburndale and Havendale, both slated for late 2009, may be the first chips to put a GPU and a CPU on one die, but the company isn't saying yet.
USB 3.0 Speeds Up Performance on External Devices The USB connector has been one of the greatest success stories in the history of computing, with more than 2 billion USB-connected devices sold to date. But in an age of terabyte hard drives, the once-cool throughput of 480 megabits per second that a USB 2.0 device can realistically provide just doesn't cut it any longer.
What is it? USB 3.0 (aka "SuperSpeed USB") promises to increase performance by a factor of 10, pushing the theoretical maximum throughput of the connector all the way up to 4.8 gigabits per second, or processing roughly the equivalent of an entire CD-R disc every second. USB 3.0 devices will use a slightly different connector, but USB 3.0 ports are expected to be backward-compatible with current USB plugs, and vice versa. USB 3.0 should also greatly enhance the power efficiency of USB devices, while increasing the juice (nearly one full amp, up from 0.1 amps) available to them. That means faster charging times for your iPod--and probably even more bizarre USB-connected gear like the toy rocket launchers and beverage coolers that have been festooning people's desks.
When is it coming? The USB 3.0 spec is nearly finished, with consumer gear now predicted to come in 2010. Meanwhile, a host of competing high-speed plugs--DisplayPort, eSATA, and HDMI--will soon become commonplace on PCs, driven largely by the onset of high-def video. Even FireWire is looking at an imminent upgrade of up to 3.2 gbps performance. The port proliferation may make for a baffling landscape on the back of a new PC, but you will at least have plenty of high-performance options for hooking up peripherals.
Wireless Power Transmission Wireless power transmission has been a dream since the days when Nikola Tesla imagined a world studded with enormous Tesla coils. But aside from advances in recharging electric toothbrushes, wireless power has so far failed to make significant inroads into consumer-level gear.
What is it? This summer, Intel researchers demonstrated a method--based on MIT research--for throwing electricity a distance of a few feet, without wires and without any dangers to bystanders (well, none that they know about yet). Intel calls the technology a "wireless resonant energy link," and it works by sending a specific, 10-MHz signal through a coil of wire; a similar, nearby coil of wire resonates in tune with the frequency, causing electrons to flow through that coil too. Though the design is primitive, it can light up a 60-watt bulb with 70 percent efficiency.
When is it coming? Numerous obstacles remain, the first of which is that the Intel project uses alternating current. To charge gadgets, we'd have to see a direct-current version, and the size of the apparatus would have to be considerably smaller. Numerous regulatory hurdles would likely have to be cleared in commercializing such a system, and it would have to be thoroughly vetted for safety concerns.
Assuming those all go reasonably well, such receiving circuitry could be integrated into the back of your laptop screen in roughly the next six to eight years. It would then be a simple matter for your local airport or even Starbucks to embed the companion power transmitters right into the walls so you can get a quick charge without ever opening up your laptop bag. Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/152683/tech.html?tk=rss_news
Intel last week gave a quick preview of its next generation laptop platform, which could shake up the chipmaker's mobile offerings. The company gave analysts and users a glimpse of the new platform, codenamed Calpella, at its fall Intel Developer's Forum (IDF) in Taiwan. Mooly Eden, corporate vice president and general manager of Intel's Mobile Platforms group, said during his keynote address at the forum that the platform focuses largely on energy efficiency and longer battery life. Nathan Brookwood, an analyst at research firm Insight 64, said that if he was a hardware vendor, he'd be eagerly awaiting the 2009 arrival of Calpella. "It's a very different platform than anything they've done to date," he said. "When Calpella shows up, everything inside that laptop will be brand new." The analyst explained that until now, Intel's laptop platforms have consisted of a CPU and a Northbridge chip, which holds the memory controller and the graphics chip. However, in Calpella, the memory controller has been moved onto the CPU itself. The graphics remain separate but will be packaged with the CPU, giving it better access to the memory controller and the CPU, he said. "These are all good things," said Brookwood. "If I was a vendor, I'd be excited over this, but a little nervous because everything inside the platform is changing at the same time. With so many balls in the air, it's easy to drop one." However, he added that since Intel is previewing the platform a year before it ships, most of his concerns are lessened. The Calpella platform will be based on Intel's upcoming 45nm-based Nehalem architecture. The first Nehalem chips, which will be quad-core server chips, are expected to ship this fall. The rest of the Nehalem family -- desktop chips, dual-core, more quad-core and eight-core chips -- are slated to be released over the course of next year. Brookwood noted that the Nehalem chips for the laptop are scheduled to ship in the second half of 2009. Intel execs showed off the first 8-core Nehalem chip at its Intel Developer Forum in August. A week before the forum, the chipmaker announced that it was naming the new family of chips Intel Core. The first Core chips to hit the market will get the added label of i7, making the full name Intel Core i7. The Nehalem technology has a new modular architecture, which officials say will make it easier to scale from two to eight cores. The Core chips also are being designed to have two-way, simultaneous multithreading, use Intel's QuickPath interconnect, and have a three-level cache hierarchy. Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/152781/intel_laptop_platform.html?tk=rss_news
Switch Vendors Can Reach a Broader Set of Clients with a Single Product ARMONK, NY and SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- October 23, 2008 -- IBM and Intel Corporation today announced they are extending their collaboration in the blade server market to drive adoption of an open industry specification for blade switches. This will enable switch vendors to maximize return on their research and development by developing products to a single design, reaching more customers with just one product. Switches are essential components of every blade system, channeling data to and from the server. As part of the agreement announced today, IBM will extend the BladeCenter switch specification for blade servers to the Server Systems Infrastructure (SSI) organization on a royalty-free basis, allowing switch vendors to create one product that works across the BladeCenter and SSI ecosystems and driving more switch products for clients to choose from. The companies also announced plans to work together to establish a third-party Switch Compliance Lab, where the developer community can test and verify their blade server products for BladeCenter and SSI environments. The announcement today builds upon a history of IBM and Intel collaboration on blade technology -- starting in 2002 with the development of the first BladeCenter servers and continuing in 2006 when IBM, Intel and other industry leaders formed Blade.org, the industry consortium driving open innovation in blade-based solutions that today has over 200 members. SSI is an industry organization established over 10 years ago to enable server builders to develop compliant and interoperable building blocks for blade, chassis and manageability software technology. The incorporation of the open switch specification into SSI is intended to broaden the market for switch module vendors as they collaborate on SSI-specified blade switch solutions with Intel and IBM. In this segment, Blade Network Technologies, Brocade, NextIO and others have committed their support for the open specification. By extending its switch specification and ecosystem to affiliated members of SSI, IBM is driving greater adoption of BladeCenter-compatible switches. "The extension of the BladeCenter switch specification and ecosystem to SSI advances open specifications for blade systems," says Alex Yost, vice president of IBM BladeCenter. "Making the switch design in our open BladeCenter specification available to a broader set of vendors demonstrates IBM's commitment to foster openness in the blade server market." Demand for a common switch specification comes at a time when blade servers are becoming a critical ingredient in IT infrastructure. The availability of the open BladeCenter switch specification to SSI members allows them access to the more than 25 specification-compliant switches on the market today. "By working with IBM, we have expanded ecosystem support for SSI blade specifications to over 70 vendors," says Kirk Skaugen, General Manager, Server Platforms Group, Intel. "Continued IBM and Intel collaboration will go further to expanding the entire blade server market. This is good for customers who will benefit from increased choice from a breadth of server, networking and storage vendors while enabling each product to maximize return on the R&D invested." Reference : http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20081023comp.htm?cid=rss-90004-c1-216989
The next time Apple will have the opportunity to boost the processor specifications of its MacBook Pro line will be next spring, when Intel pushes out a final update to its Montevina platform consisting of two high-performance mobile chips, according to reports.Apple's current MacBook Pros employ a "P" series, medium voltage (25W) P8600 2.4GHz chip at the low end, and a "T" series, standard voltage (35W) T9400 2.53GHz chip at the high end. The T series chip costs the company roughly $32 less than the P series, according to pricing estimates published on the web, but runs slightly hotter. Apple also offers a build-to-order option on the MacBook Pro that lets customers choose a "T" series, standard voltage (35W) T9600 2.8GHz chip for a $300 premium. The chip costs the company roughly $200 to $250 more than the 2.53GHz variants, according to estimates.Citing sources at Taiwanese notebook makers, DigiTimes claims Intel will refresh these Montevina-based Core 2 Duo offerings in April by adding two new variants: a P8800 running at 2.66GHz and a T9900 clocking in at 3.06GHz. VR-Zone earlier in the week provided corroborating evidence to this end via a series of leaked Intel roadmap presentation slides. The visuals list the two chips as arriving anytime from mid-to-late second quarter, which runs April through June. At this juncture, Apple could presumably bump its 15-inch MacBook Pro configurations up to standard frequencies as high as 2.66GHz and 2.8GHz, with a 3.06GHz build-to-order option. Alternatively, it could inch standard configurations up to 2.53GHz and 2.66GHz, leaving the 2.8GHz and 3.06GHz chips as potential build-to-order choices. It should be noted, however, the 17-inch unibody MacBook Pro should be in the mix by this time, potentially adopting one of the remaining high-end chips, such as the 2.8GHz. The current array of Intel Core 2 Duo mobile chips employed in Apple's unibody MacBook Pros.The spring refresh is expected to be the last to hit Intel's Montevina platform before the chipmaker turns to its new and broad Nehalem architecture, which has since officially been dubbed the " Core i7." Calpella is the code-name for Intel's Core i7-based mobile platform, which will umbrella chips currently referenced by the "Clarksfield" code-name (the same way that Montevina umbrellas mobile chips from the Penryn family). [Dizzy yet?] Spring 2009 Core 2 Duo mobile chip additions likely to be adopted by Apple's MacBook Pros.With the launch of Calpella not scheduled until the third quarter of 2009 at the earliest, few if any hard specifications are known about its new mobile chips. More generally, however, it's been speculated that Calpella processors will be based on a 32-nanometer manufacturing process and possibly abandon the use of separate northbridge and southbridge chipsets for components that will be integrated into some of its processor families. A bit earlier next year, Intel also plans to introduce its new GM47 integrated graphics chipset with a 1066MHz front-side bus and 640MHz graphics core frequency. Given Apple's emphatic endorsement of NVIDIA's new chipsets across its notebook lines, it's unlikely the company holds any plans to adopt the new Intel part.Update: Charts and story text updated to reflect confirmation that the 2.53GHz Intel processor employed by the unibody MacBook Pro is the "T" series, standard voltage (35W) T9400, and that Apple is not using the "P" series, medium voltage (25W) P9500. Reference : http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/10/23/future_macbook_pro_bound_intel_chips_due_next_spring.html
Intel and IBM have agreed to open up IBM's BladeCenter switch technology for more server makers to use, part of an initiative to spur adoption of a specification for low-cost blade servers. "We will be taking the BladeCenter switch specification and opening it up for access, royalty-free access, to any SSI adopter," said Kirk Skaugen [CQ], vice president and general manager of Intel's Server Platforms Group, during an interview at the Intel Developer Forum in Taipei. SSI, or the Server System Infrastructure Forum, is an industry group that was established by Intel to define server standards. Last year, SSI released a draft specification for low-cost blade servers that did not include all of the components required to build a blade server. "The piece, quite candidly, that was missing if you're going to build a whole blade system was the switch specification," Skaugen said. "This will be the final puzzle piece to complete a full blade system," he said, adding that the final SSI specification for blade servers should be ready by the end of the year. The SSI specification is aimed at smaller server makers and regional players, such as India's HCL Infosystems and Tyan in Taiwan. The SSI blade specification is designed to reduce manufacturing costs for these companies by setting standards for various components, such as power supplies and motherboards. Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/152664/.html?tk=rss_news
Intel Corp. this week used a developer forum in Taipei to tout its upcoming Moorestown platform for next-generation mobile Internet devices (MIDs) while slamming Apple's iPhone as a device bogged down by its use of ARM processors.Following his keynote presentation at the conference, Intel vice president of mobility Shane Wall teamed with colleague Pankaj Kedia, the chipmaker's ultra-mobility ecosystems director, in lambasting the iPhone as a device dependent on technology that's a full two to three years behind that which Intel can offer."If you want to run full internet, you're going to have to run an Intel-based architecture," Wall told the gathering of engineers. He said the "iPhone struggles" when tasked with running "any sort of application that requires any horse power.""The shortcomings of the iPhone are not because of Apple," added Kedia. "The shortcomings of the iPhone have come from ARM."He said other handset vendors, not just Apple, face the same problem in that their smartphones are "not very smart" because "they use ARM." Wall argued that the iPhone has fallen short in a number of areas, despite its great user interface supporting marketing blitz orchestrated by chief executive Steve Jobs. As such, neither executive believes the iPhone will achieve "fast, full internet" any time in the near future if it continues to rely on ARM-based processors. "Even if they do have full capability, the performance will be so poor," Wall said. To that, Kedia added: "I know what their roadmap is, I know where they're going and I'm not worried."Apple's recent acquisition of fabless chip designer P.A. Semi appears to have all but cemented the future of the iPhone and iPod in ARM technologies. The electronics maker was recently fingered as the 'long term architecture licensee' of ARM's current and future technology for use in mobile computing.Steve Jobs said earlier this year that buyout of P.A. Semi would drive the future of his company's handheld products, and it was later revealed PA Semi's senior principle architect is busy at Apple managing a team developing a custom ARM chip that will power a new generation of iPhones. Apple is also believed to be the mysterious licensee of Imagination Technologie's current and future PowerVR graphics technologies, which are likely to be tied into its future ARM-based iPhone system-on-a-chip (SoC) designs. Reference : http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/10/22/intel_says_iphone_not_capable_of_full_internet.html
Intel on Monday showed off a prototype handheld based on Moorestown, its upcoming Mobile Internet Device (MID) platform designed to enable a new generation of ultra-thin, touchscreen devices with extensive battery life.Presenting at the Intel Developer Forum in Taipei, Intel vice president Anand Chandrasekher said Moorestown will consist of a system-on-a-chip (SOC), codenamed "Lincroft," which integrates a 45nm processor, graphics, memory controller and video encode/decode onto a single part. The chip will connect to a southbridge I/O hub codenamed "Langwell", which supports a range of I/O ports to connect with wireless, storage, and display components in addition to incorporating several board level functions. When it arrives sometime in the 2009-2010 time, the Moorestown platform will introduce a more than tenfold reduction in idle power consumption when compared to Intel's first-generation MIDs based on the Intel Atom processor, Chandrasekher said.Intel is targeting Moorestown at the smartphone space, claiming the technology will serve as a catalyst for new developments that will extend the full Internet experience into into a new generation of handsets with advanced wireless communications. The platform will support a range of wireless technologies including 3G, WiMAX, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and mobile TV. Chandrasekher said Intel is collaborating with both Ericsson and Option on new 3G HSPA data modules that will come in 25x30x2.x mm small size and provide an "always connected" Internet-based experience.In the videos below, the Intel exec can bee seen demonstrating the first working Moorestown-based handheld, which Engadget claims is "little more than a validation board running fresh from the factory, three-dayold Moorestown silicon in an Intel lab." A similar device had been flaunted by the chipmaker in recent years, though those versions are said to have been non-functional mockups. At one point, it was reported that Apple would embrace Intel's MID platform as the foundation for its own next-generation mobile Internet device, sometimes referred to as a next-generation Newton handheld or Internet tablet. Intel's vision of a next-generation mobile Internet device looks something like this.However, the company's recent acquisition of chip designer PA Semi to build proprietary ARM chips for iPhones and iPods may signal a change of direction on the part of the electronics maker. Reference : http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/10/20/intel_shows_off_working_moorestown_mid_device.html
Intel is gearing up to release the first versions of its Nehalem chip family next month, with the scheduled launch of its Core i7 desktop processors. But users will have to wait much longer to get their hands on the mobile version of the new chip.The mobile version of Nehalem, codenamed Clarksfield, will “be in production beginning in the second half of 2009,” Intel said on Monday, without saying when the chips would be available commercially. The company did not elaborate on whether the reference to production means full volume production or limited pilot production of the processors. Either way, this production schedule suggests users may not see Clarksfield until late next year. Clarksfield will be produced using the same 45-nanometer production process that’s used to make Intel’s current chip lineup. The upcoming chip will be at the heart of the next version of Intel’s Centrino laptop chip package, called Calpella. Nehalem uses a different chip design than any of Intel’s current processors. The most significant improvement is the move to combine the processor with the memory controller hub, which connects the processor to main memory, on a single piece of silicon. This feature, which is already available on processors from rival Advanced Micro Devices, should offer much faster access to data than is possible with Intel’s current chips. Clarksfield is also expected to include more advanced power-management features than Intel’s current mobile chips. Reference : http://www.macworld.com/article/136223/2008/10/nehalem.html?lsrc=rss_main
Intel showed a short video of the first working Moorestown chips to come out of its factories at the Intel Developer Forum in Taipei on Monday. The video, which said the chips were three days old, showed a validation board with the chips running in an Intel lab and was played during a keynote speech by Anand Chandrasekher, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Ultra Mobility Group. Moorestown is designed for handheld, portable computers that Intel calls Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs). The platform consists of Lincroft, a system-on-chip built around an Atom processor core, and the Langwell chipset, as well as optional modules for WiMax and high-speed cellular access. The chips are expected to consume significantly less power than Intel's current Atom chips designed for MIDs. Intel plans to release Moorestown during late 2009 or 2010. Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/152474/.html?tk=rss_news
Intel is gearing up to release the first versions of its Nehalem chip family next month, with the scheduled launch of its Core i7 desktop processors. But users will have to wait much longer to get their hands on the mobile version of the new chip. The mobile version of Nehalem, codenamed Clarksfield, will "be in production beginning in the second half of 2009," Intel said on Monday, without saying when the chips would be available commercially. The company did not elaborate on whether the reference to production means full volume production or limited pilot production of the processors. Either way, this production schedule suggests users may not see Clarksfield until late next year. Clarksfield will be produced using the same 45-nanometer production process that's used to make Intel's current chip lineup. The upcoming chip will be at the heart of the next version of Intel's Centrino laptop chip package, called Calpella. Nehalem uses a different chip design than any of Intel's current processors. The most significant improvement is the move to combine the processor with the memory controller hub, which connects the processor to main memory, on a single piece of silicon. This feature, which is already available on processors from rival Advanced Micro Devices, should offer much faster access to data than is possible with Intel's current chips. Clarksfield is also expected to include more advanced power-management features than Intel's current mobile chips. Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/152473/.html?tk=rss_news
Intel's upcoming Moorestown chip platform will include optional support for high-speed cellular data services when it hits the market in 2009 or 2010, Intel said Monday. Moorestown will be based on Lincroft, a system-on-chip that includes an Atom processor core and a memory controller hub, and a chipset called Langwell. Designed for small, handheld computers that Intel calls Mobile Internet Devices, Moorestown will offer optional support for both WiMax and HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) cellular networks. Intel is heavily pushing WiMax, which it sees as the best option for future wireless broadband services. But WiMax availability is very limited and it will take time for networks to enter commercial operation and expand their coverage areas. The addition of HSPA support to Moorestown hints that Intel recognizes that WiMax may not be extensively deployed as quickly as it would like, and users will want an alternative way of connecting wirelessly outside of Wi-Fi hotspots. This isn't the first time Intel has flirted with offering 3G (third generation telephony) support to computers. In 2007, the company shelved an agreement with Nokia to provide 3G modules for Centrino laptops, saying customer interest in the technology was lukewarm. That appears to be changing. At the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco during August, Belgium's Option showed off HSPA modules it developed for MIDs based on Intel's Atom. On Monday, Intel announced that Option and telecom equipment maker Ericsson will make low-power HSPA modules that will be offered as an option with Moorestown. Intel is making its own WiMax module for Moorestown. The module, code named Evans Peak, made an appearance at the Ceatec show in Japan during late September. Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/152472/.html?tk=rss_news
Internet Spiral Continues to Fuel Industry Innovation Across Multiple Devices and Experiences INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, Taipei, Taiwan, Oct. 20, 2008 - The surge of new Internet-based applications and innovations will require a common, yet flexible platform from which the industry can innovate upon, and the Intel® Architecture is well positioned at the core of exciting new innovations and transformation, according to Intel executive Anand Chandrasekher. In his keynote today at the Intel Developer Forum in Taiwan, Intel's senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Ultra Mobility Group discussed how technology innovation and strong industry collaboration have driven the digital economy over the past 40 years, and the universal impact that the Internet and mobile Web has had in people's lives. "Technology innovation is the catalyst for new user experiences, industry collaborations and business models that together will shape the next 40 years," said Chandrasekher. "As the next billion people connect to and experience the Internet, significant opportunities lie in the power of technology and the development of purpose-built devices that deliver more targeted computing needs and experiences." Chandrasekher cited the Intel® Atom™ processor, the upcoming "Nehalem" processor, and the Intel "Moorestown" platform scheduled for the 2009-2010 timeframe as prime examples of innovation and technology leadership. Also highlighted was the progress Intel is making in the Mobile Internet Devices (MID) market segment with the world's first working "Moorestown" platform demonstration. Moorestown comprises of an SOC, codenamed "Lincroft," which integrates the 45nm processor, graphics, memory controller and video encode/decode onto a single chip and an I/O hub codenamed "Langwell", which supports a range of I/O ports to connect with wireless, storage, and display components in addition to incorporating several board level functions. Chandrasekher stated that Intel is on track to reduce Moorestown platform idle power by more than 10x compared to the first-generation MIDs based on the Intel Atom processor. Chandrasekher said that Moorestown will be a catalyst for exciting and innovative developments that will extend the full Internet experience into the smartphone space with the Communication MID. He indicated that Moorestown platforms will support a range of wireless technologies including 3G, WiMAX, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and mobile TV. Additionally, Chandrasekher announced a collaboration with Ericsson* for HSPA data modules optimized for the Moorestown platform. He also announced that Option* is extending its collaboration for HSPA modules to the Moorestown platform. These 3G modules come in 25x30x2.x mm small size, are optimized for Moorestown power requirements and will help provide MID users with more powerful, always connected Internet-based experiences. Dynamic innovation in the digital enterprise Kirk Skaugen, general manager of Intel's Server Platforms Group, provided details of next-generation high-end desktops powered by the Intel® Core™ i7 processor, launching next month. These high-end desktops will provide outstanding performance for gaming and content creation applications. Skaugen also shared that the 2009 Intel® vPro technology-based business clients codenamed "Piketown" for desktops and "Calpella" for notebooks will be powered by future Nehalem processors and will provide corporate customers with even more enterprise-focused innovations. The upcoming Nehalem microarchitecture spans a range of products. First segments will include the Intel® Core™ i7 processor and a variant designed for the efficient performance server segments codenamed "Nehalem-EP." A derivative designed for the expandable server market segment ("Nehalem-EX") as well as other desktop and mobile versions ("Havendale," "Lynnfield," "Auburndale" and "Clarksfield") will be in production beginning in the second half of 2009. Reference : http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20081019comp.htm?cid=rss-90004-c1-214702
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 15, 2008 – Intel Corporation has extended its lead in the high-end server segment, setting new standards in virtualization performance with the launch of seven 45 nanometer (nm)-manufactured Intel® Xeon® Processor 7400 Series products. With up to six processing cores per chip and 16MB of shared cache memory, applications built for virtualized environments and data demanding workloads, such as databases, business intelligence, enterprise resource planning and server consolidation, experience dramatic performance increases of almost 50 percent in some cases. Platforms based on these processors can scale up to 16 processor "sockets" to deliver servers with up to 96 processing cores inside, offering tremendous scalability, ample computing threads, extensive memory resources and uncompromising reliability for enterprise data centers. "The arrival of these processors extends Intel's lead in the high-end server segment," said Tom Kilroy, Intel vice president and general manager of the Digital Enterprise Group. "This new processor series helps IT manage increasingly complex enterprise server environments, providing a great opportunity to boost the scalable performance of multi-threaded applications within a stable platform infrastructure. With new features such as additional cores, large shared caches and advanced virtualization technologies, the Xeon® 7400 series delivers record-breaking performance that will lead enterprises into the next wave of virtualization deployments." Several Performance RecordsThe Intel® Xeon® processor 7400 series has already set new four-socket and eight-socket world records on key industry benchmarks for virtualization, database, enterprise resource planning and e-commerce. IBM, following the record-setting 1.2 million tpmC result on its eight-socket System x* 3950 M2 platform, delivers an all-time high result for four-socket servers on System x* 3850 M2 server with a score of 684,508 tpmC on the TPC*-C benchmark, which measures database performance in an online transaction processing environment. An HP ProLiant DL580 G5 server on the SAP-SD benchmark that measures a server's sales and distribution capability on SAP software set a world record with a score of 5155 SD-Users. On the SPECint*_rate2006 benchmark, which measures a system's integer throughput performance, a Fujitsu-Siemens PRIMERGY* RX600 S4 server set a record with a score of 291. Several other records were also set on other key enterprise-related benchmarks. Virtualization Platform of ChoiceBased on Intel's 45nm high-k process technology and reinvented transistors that use a Hafnium-based, high-k metal gate formula, the new Xeon® 7400 series delivers exceptional performance improvements with lower power consumption. This delivers almost 50 percent better performance in some cases, and up to 10 percent reduction in platform power, and has resulted in a world record VMmark (a virtualization benchmark) score for four-socket, 24 processing core servers at 18.49 on a Dell PowerEdge R900 platform using VMware ESX server v3.5.0.* These virtualization performance increases, and advanced virtualization capabilities such as Intel Virtualization Technology (VT) FlexMigration make Xeon® 7400 series-based servers ideal platforms for customers to standardize their virtual infrastructures. FlexMigration enables VM migration from previous-, present- and future-generation Core microarchitecture-based platforms. This ensures investment protection for administrators seeking to establish pools of virtualized systems and using those pools to facilitate failover, disaster recovery, load balancing and optimizing server maintenance and downtime. Product Details, CustomersThese products offer frequencies up to 2.66 GHz and power levels down to 50 watts, including the first 6-core, x86 compatible 65-watt version which translates to just under 11 watts per processor core, with platforms available in rack, tower and highly dense blade form factors. The Xeon® 7400 processor series is compatible with Intel's existing Xeon 7300 series platforms and the Intel® 7300 chipset with memory capacity up to 256GB, allowing IT departments to quickly deploy the new processor into a stable platform infrastructure. Starting today, servers based on the Intel® Xeon® 7400 processor series are expected to be announced by more than 50 system manufacturers around the world, including four-socket rack servers from Dell, Fujitsu, Fujitsu-Siemens, Hitachi, HP, IBM, NEC, Sun, Supermicro and Unisys; four-socket blade servers from Egenera, HP, Sun and NEC; and servers that scale up to 16-sockets from IBM, NEC and Unisys. Many software vendors are also supporting Intel® Xeon® 7400 based platforms with innovative solutions enabling virtualization and scalable performance for the high-end enterprise, including Citrix, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Red Hat, SAP and VMware. Pricing for the Xeon® 7000 Sequence processors in quantities of 1,000 ranges from $856 to $2,729. For more details on the Intel® Xeon® 7400 processor series, visit www.intel.com/xeon. For more details on world records and other claims, visit www.intel.com/performance/server/xeon_mp/summary.htmReference : http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20080915comp.htm?cid=rss-90004-c1-212832
Intel Corp. is expected to release its six-core Xeon 7400 chip Monday, just as VMware Inc.'s big annual show begins in Las Vegas. And the timing is no coincidence. Intel's chip is aimed at users seeking a consolidation and virtualization server platform, analysts say. Moving multiple virtual machines (VMs) to a six-core chip will improve management of virtual as well as physical systems. Consolidating physical servers to a single, presumably energy efficient system, may help users tight on data center space. Intel isn't alone in picking VMware's conference to release its chip. Over the next week, vendors will be making numerous hardware announcements all designed with virtualization in mind. As virtualization use expands in data centers, so does the need for server hardware with added processing capability, memory and networking connections. Vendors will announce over the next week products tuned for virtualization, integration with virtualization platforms, and new services to support deployment. Dell Inc., for instance, today announced new PowerEdge blade servers, including the M905 four socket, dual- or quad-core Advance Micro Devices Inc., chips, it says can support 66 virtual machines. The system can support Citrix XenServer, VMware and Microsoft's Hyper-V. The company announced new storage and services as well. In describing Intel's six-core chip, code-named Dunnington, at the Intel Developers Forum last month, Pat Gelsinger, Intel executive vice president, cited a number of workloads for it, including database, ERP, Java-based and virtualization. AMD is also working on a six-core chip, code-named Istanbul, which is due out in the second half of next year. Nathan Brookwood, an analyst at Insight 64 in Saratoga, Calif., said the six-core system is a niche product intended for large applications such as such as transaction-oriented workloads and databases that already use multithreaded environments and virtualization. The six-core Xeon was built on a single piece of silicon, unlike Intel's quad-core chips which are built from two dual-core chips. As a result of the improvements in Dunnington, Brookwood said it handles caching much better, improving performance. He called it "the best multiple core chip that Intel has introduced to date." With six cores, Brookwood said users can consolidate more VMs in one physical server, and being able to do so improves the management of the VMs. The risk is that if that physical server should fail for any reason, it can affect lots of people, Brookwood said. The increased number of cores not only lend themselves to managing more workloads, but six core systems will also take up less space in a data center and use less power, said Rich Partridge, an analyst at Ideas International Ltd in Rye Brook, N.Y. For some users, "having a consolidated server that is more efficiently managed is very attractive," he said. Partridge also said Intel is seeking to appeal to users who have typically turned to Unix and RISC-based systems to operate large workloads। But he also said the target audience for this server isn't users who want to run one workload across six cores, but those who want to manage multiple apps across a hypervisor. Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/150906/intel_six_core_xeon.html?tk=rss_news
WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 9, 2008 – Intel Corporation today named Sojourner Elementary School of Milwaukie, Ore., as the "Star Innovator" among six winners of the 2008 Intel Schools of Distinction Awards. Intel sponsors the awards to honor schools for implementing innovative math and science programs and serving as models for other schools. The Intel Foundation and sponsoring companies will distribute to this year's winning schools a total of more than $1 million in cash, products and services. "Intel Schools of Distinction are places where students, teachers and the entire school community live and breathe educational excellence," said Intel Chairman Craig Barrett. "Coupling that focus with 21st century skills – communication, collaboration, and critical thinking – fosters the innovation we need far more of in the U.S." Delay Middle School in Lewisville, Texas and Sabino High School in Tucson, Ariz. joined Sojourner in winning 2008 Schools of Distinction awards for mathematics excellence in their respective levels. Awards for science excellence at the elementary, middle school and high school levels, respectively, went to Laguna Elementary School in Scottsdale, Ariz., Key Peninsula Middle School in Lakebay, Wash. and Townsend Harris High School in Flushing, N.Y. Each of the six winning schools, which were honored today at a gala in Washington, D.C., receive a $10,000 cash grant from the Intel Foundation and an award package that includes curriculum materials, professional development resources, hardware and software valued at more than $160,000. As Star Innovator, Sojourner receives additional cash, products and services, including a $15,000 grant from the Intel Foundation. The Making of a Star Innovator in Mathematics Education Mathematics achievement at Sojourner has steadily improved over the past 4 years, according to Oregon State Assessment data. Sojourner utilizes a "team teaching" approach, which allows content specialization. At each level, at least one teacher completes additional coursework and professional development in mathematics. This results in specialized content and academic knowledge in mathematics. Computers are equipped with the software necessary to complete the computer-based units from the school’s math curriculum, and teachers are trained to implement these units. Newsletters produced at each level inform parents as to the specific content in class so that parents can provide appropriate support. All families have math manipulative "kits" at home so that students can continue to develop ideas at the conceptual level. Families also have access to the district Web site, where the online Student Learning Center provides valuable resources for practice activities at a variety of levels. Six highly trained math teachers work at Sojourner. One teacher has received both the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and the Milken Educator Award. For more information on the Intel Schools of Distinction Awards and to view the complete list of winners, visit www.intel.com/education/schoolsofdistinction. Intel's sponsorship of the Schools of Distinction Awards is part of the Intel® Education Initiative, a sustained public-private partnership with governments in more than 50 countries. Through this $100 million a year initiative, Intel delivers programs that improve the effective use of technology to enhance 21st century skills, and encourages excellence in mathematics, science and engineering. For more information, visit www.intel.com/education. In addition to Intel, award sponsors include BrainWare, CTL, Dell, DyKnow, eInstruction, Futurekids, Inspiration Software, Microsoft, PASCO scientific, Scantron, SMART, Spectrum K12 and Trillion। Reference : http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20080909edu.htm?cid=rss-90004-c1-212532
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