Intel Corp has acknowledged that it will license its Pentium II P6 bus technology to an unnamed third party chip maker, according to a report by CNET, thus breaking its monopoly in Pentium II manufacture. The report points out that the move will open Intel to competition in the Pentium II chipset market for the first time. Paul Otellini, executive vice president and general manager of the Intel architecture business unit, told a PC Tech Forum audience in his keynote speech that the company had granted a license to a third-party chipmaker, and said it would also be licensing the P6 bus to other companies. The move may well have been prompted by the fact that the US Federal Trade Commission is believed to once again be preparing a lawsuit against Intel for antitrust violations (CI No 3,399), based on its monopolistic behavior in the chip market. CNET believes Intel’s move may actually weaken the FTC case against the chip giant.
