Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology surpasses 50 million mark in just over two years

"Intel created Hyper-Threading technology with two main objectives in mind," said Samir Al-Schamma' Intel's general manager in the GCC. "The first was to provide a boost in computing performance beyond clock speed in a platform-centric manner that can manage a variety of tasks and commands - often running simultaneously. Second, the technology was our initial foray into parallel processing to better prepare the industry for the inevitable move to multi-core processors and computers."

"In the Middle East, this technology is being very well received, where the region shows a strong mix of sales of the Intel Pentium4 processor with HT technology."

HT Technology is part of a family of premier Intel silicon technologies, which also includes La Grande (security), Vanderpool (virtualization) and Extended Memory 64 technology (memory addressability), all of which are either available today or under development. Intel plans to deliver more of these platform-centric silicon technologies in the future.

A single Intel processor supporting Hyper-Threading Technology presents itself to newer operating systems and applications as two virtual processors. The processor can work on two sets of tasks simultaneously using resources that otherwise would sit idle, getting more work done in the same amount of time. For example, a home user can play an immersive game while downloading audio or video, compressing or editing photos or designing special effects. Or, an office or IT department can run background applications such as continuous virus scanning, encryption or compression simultaneously, while minimizing disruption and pauses for other business users in the same computing environment.

Performance boosts vary, and can achieve up to 25 percent when the computer system has an Intel processor with HT Technology and enabled chipset, BIOS, operating system and application software.

At September's Intel Developer Forum, Intel said that virtually all of its 32-bit enterprise platforms were shipping with the technology inside Intel silicon. Intel also outlined several multi and dual-core projects at the event for the server, desktop and mobile market segments, and said it expects to start shipping dual-core processors in 2005 with volume growing throughout 2006.

The company also plans to have its 65 nanometer manufacturing technology process ready in 2005 with high volume product shipments in 2006. The new advanced manufacturing process helps to increase the number of transistors squeezed onto a single silicon chip, giving Intel the foundation to deliver future multi-core products and other innovative features inside the company's silicon products, at lower cost.