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Computer industry

Rival Chips Gain Ground on Intel's Dominance

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Industry leaders, including MIPS Technologies, Advanced Micro Devices, and I.B.M., are poised to unveil next-generation microprocessors that will more than double the speed of current desktop computers. Despite Intel's stronghold on the chip market, rival designers are gaining ground with RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing) architectures that offer significant speed advantages. However, the popularity of Intel-compatible software and the company's vast market share continue to give Intel an edge.

Key Takeaways:

  • Advanced Micro Devices will introduce a new chip, code-named K-5, expected to be 30% faster than Intel's current Pentiums, in the middle of next year.
  • MIPS Technologies will announce the MIPS R10000, a chip that will be 3 to 10 times faster than the chips in today's fastest desktop computers, on Monday.
  • I.B.M. will give technical details of the Power PC 620, a new 64-bit version of the Power PC, which will be almost two and a half times as fast as the Power PC 601.
  • The new MIPS chip will be designed to run both the Windows NT operating system and Unix.
  • Several RISC makers, including MIPS, Sun Microsystems, and the Digital Equipment Corporation, are looking to new markets, such as video games and set-top cable television converters, to grow their customer base.
  • Next Gen Inc. has become the first company to begin shipping Pentium-speed microprocessors.
  • Intel's X86 family, including Pentium and 486 chips, lags behind RISC designs, being more than a factor of two slower than the leading RISC chips.
  • Despite the speed advantages of RISC chips, Intel's market share remains over 90% due to the popularity of Intel-compatible software.

Statistics:

  • The new MIPS R10000 chip will be 3 to 10 times faster than the chips in today's fastest desktop computers.
  • The MIPS R10000 chip will be designed to run both the Windows NT operating system and Unix.
  • The Power PC 620 will be almost two and a half times as fast as the Power PC 601.
  • Intel's X86 family is more than a factor of two slower than the leading RISC chips.
  • The new Alpha AXP 21064A microprocessor from Digital is roughly 75% faster than its previous family of microprocessors and about as fast as the new MIPS processor.

Sources:

  • Michael Slater, publisher of Microprocessor Report.
  • MIPS Technologies.
  • Advanced Micro Devices.
  • I.B.M.
  • Sun Microsystems.
  • The Digital Equipment Corporation.
  • Intel Corporation.
  • Microsoft Corporation.

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