Intel plans to launch its six-core Xeon server processor next month, with the extra cores and a larger cache giving the chip a performance advantage over the company"s existing quad-core chips. Code-named Dunnington, the six-core Xeon processor is designed for servers that have four or more processors. Manufactured using a 45-nanometer production process, the chip should be the last new model based on Intel"s Penryn processor design before the release of the company"s first Nehalem chips in a few months" time.
Speaking at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco this week, Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manager of Intel"s Digital Enterprise Group, promised users will see big performance gains from Dunnington. Unlike quad-core chips used in personal computers, where few applications are designed to tap the power of multi-core processors, commonly used server applications should make full use of the six-core Dunnington chip"s power.