Intel Corp has launched the eagerly awaited N-11 version of its 80860 RISC microprocessor, saying that with 2.55m transistors, the 80860XP is the world’s most complex microprocessor, suggesting that the previous most highly integrated had 1.2m transistors. The part delivers 100MFLOPS peak when clocked at 50MHz, but the firm gave no technical details although Littleton, Massachusetts-based Alliant Computer Systems Corp said that its parallel compilers are at last available from Intel for the 80860 family – parallel Fortran and C will be available in the third quarter, and noted that the 80860XP includes on-chip support for the Alliant-developed Concurrency Control Architecture. This provides synchronisation and control for multiprocessing. Alliant plans to have an 80860XP processor option for its FX/800 and FX/2800 late this year. It also says that the 80860XP has doubleddata and fourfold instruction cache of its predecessor, and input-output is 2.5 times faster. The part is sampling now at $560 for 40MHz, $699 for 50MHz; volume in October. With its decision to make major investments in Ireland, Intel Corp has decided that its systems plant in Singapore is surplus to requirements and will close it by early next year at the cost of 350 jobs. Work will be transferred to Oregon, Puerto Rico and Ireland. All employees will get severance packages based on time served and some will be offered transfers. Our Singapore employees have always been excellent, and we will work hard with them in their search for new employment, the company promised.
