Intel is expected to reveal further details about its long- awaited Profusion chipset at the launch of its Pentium III Xeon line of processors on Wednesday. Intel acquired the Profusion technology, intended for extended standard Intel servers beyond their current four-way limit up to eight processors, from Corollary Inc back in 1997 (CI No 3,258). Compaq Computer Corp is a licensee, and is expected to demonstrate eight-way servers at the launch. The chipset, along with systems from Dell Computer Corp, Hewlett-Packard Co, IBM Corp and Hitachi Ltd, as well as Compaq, are expected to reach the market around June.
Meanwhile, Advanced Micro Devices Inc is relying on independent chipset providers to offer similar capabilities for its forthcoming K7 chip. Sunnyvale, California-based Poseidon Technology Inc is working on a chipset to connect up eight K7s to introduce onto the market later this year. Poseidon used to make Intel-compatible chipsets.
