另一個另人震驚的消息

Microsoft is Committed to AMD’s x86-64
Sources attending Seattle’s WinHEC 2002 maintained that Microsoft has successfully pressured Goliath chipmaker Intel Corporation into adopting archrival AMD’s new 64-bit chip language. According to our confidential sources, the Redmond, Washington-based software vendor expressed a clear preference for Advanced Micro Devices’ x86-64 instruction set over Intel’s competing IA-64. Furthermore, the OS developer advised Intel to comply with x86-64 if the Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker desired ongoing 64-bit support.

Used in AMD’s upcoming “Hammer” line of 64-bit processors, x86-64 is a straightforward yet much more powerful evolution of the existing 32-bit x86 instruction set. Seen as the blood enemy of Intel’s IA64, a CPU lingo introduced with the flagging “Merced” Itanium, Intel’s adoption of AMD’s x86-64 serves as a resounding victory for the much smaller MPU designer.

Despite being severely handicapped in terms of relative size, AMD is widely viewed as the superior innovator. In fact, AMD has been awarded more U.S. patents than Intel for each of the last three years. With a total of 1,090 patents in 2001, AMD ranked 14th in the world and 5th in America in number of awarded U.S. patents. Intel trailed with only 811 U.S. patents during the same year.

Our sources also allege that top Microsoft decision makers view x86-64 as the clearly superior solution over IA64, an underperforming VLIW architecture widely judged as Byzantine. Intel is expected to make a formal announcement of its x86-64 support, code-named “Yamhill,” in June or July during a face-saving presentation delivered with Microsoft.

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M$正敦促Intel改投X86-64陣營
以Prescott到明年下來才會出來的情況下
且此消息是真的情況下，
Intel的主流CPU在Hammer出來後會有好一陣子落居下風