Intel Semiconductor is channelling its Multimedia Extension-enabled (MMX) Pentium microprocessor series into two streams for use in desktop and mobile PC systems early next year.
MMX, a processor innovation from microprocessor pioneer Intel labelled as the biggest significant design change to the x86 architecture since the introduction of the 386-class chip, was explained in detail at the annual Microprocessor Forum in California last week.
The MMX snapshot comes as Intel's senior vice-president and general manager of its microprocessor division, Albert Yu, prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the microprocessor at a function in Hong Kong today. Intel lists November 15 1971, as the day the microprocessor was introduced.
Both x86 processor rivals, Advanced Micro Devices and Cyrix, have previewed their MMX implementations, which will result in marketable silicon in the second quarter of next year. Intel's general manager of its Intel Israel Development Centre, David Perlmutter, said Intel hoped to introduce its formally named Pentium Processor with MMX Technology chips as early as January, with clock speeds of 166 megahertz for notebooks and 200MHz for desktop systems.
MMX includes 57 new instructions on the processor, which will offer an effective turbo boost for multimedia and communications applications by reducing the total execution time of certain compute-intensive loops.
MMX consolidates multimedia functions previously performed by components residing on add-on cards or motherboards, bringing it on to the piece of silicon regarded as the brain of the computer.
The Pentium MMX and Pentium clones with MMX are all designed to be compatible with existing processor sockets, chipsets and motherboards.