Tech Shout!

Intel Corp. has unveiled new Pentium 4 Processors that provide hardware virtualization support for desktop PCs, thereby enhancing the manageability and strengthening the secutiry levels of businesses.

Virtualization allows a platform to run multiple operating systems or applications in independent partitions or “containers” that can be tailored for precise needs such as IT management services and protecting networked assets.

“With innovations such as Intel Virtualization Technology built-in, Intel is at the forefront of tackling some of the biggest IT challenges facing businesses today,” said Robert B. Crooke, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Business Client Group. Analysts believe virtualization is one of the most disruptive technologies to the PC in a decade, and our technology combined with our industry enabling efforts is going to help bring this into the mainstreamâ€?, added Crooke.

Intel Pentium 4 processor-based desktop PCs are being offered by Acer, Founder, Lenovo and TongFang. The Intel Virtualization Technology-based pilot system is being offered to a select few customers and broad support for desktop PC solutions from several other system manufacturers is expected in the first quarter of 2006. Intel also said that virtualization solution providers including VMware, Microsoft and Xen have joined it in support of its Virtualization Technology on future Intel processor-based PCs and servers.

Whilst speaking about developing “built-in” IT security and manageability capabilities for businesses, Intel said it would deliver the second phase of another platform innovation, Intel Active Management Technology, together with virtualization support on its dual-core Intel Professional Business Platform, codenamed Averill, later in 2006. Virtualization facilities will also be extended to notebook PCs, and the company will first support this through Intel Centrino mobile technology-based platforms in 2006.

Intel Xeon processors MP with hardware-enabled are being transported as support for the Intel Virtualization Technology, announced Intel last week. The same technology will be shipped on Intel Itanium processor-based platforms in mid-2006.

Desktop PCs based on the Intel Pentium 4 672 and 662 processors with Intel Virtualization Technology are available today on systems being offered by Acer, Founder, Lenovo and TongFang. The Intel Pentium 4 672 and 662 processors are valued at $605 and $401 respectively, in 1,000-unit quantities