Intel Finds Flaw in Itanium 2 Processors
Posted on: Monday, 12 May 2003, 06:00 CDT
By MATTHEW FORDAHL
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Intel Corp. (INTC) said Monday a flaw in some of its Itanium 2 microprocessors could cause systems running the high-end chip to shut down or crash under certain conditions.
The Santa Clara-based company has released a program that can determine whether an Itanium system is affected by the problem, which was discovered by a computer maker earlier this year.
"It was discovered in a lab environment, and it's a very specific set of circumstances that cause it to happen," said Robert Manetta, an Intel spokesman. "It's conceivable it has been seen by end-users, but it was found in the lab environment."
Itanium 2 users will have several options ranging from doing nothing if the specific causes do not apply to trading in the chip for a replacement. Users also can run a software fix that slows the chip's speed to 800 megahertz. Itanium 2 chips normally run at either 900 mhz or 1 gigahertz, depending on the chip.
Manetta said it was not yet known how many of the chips are affected. Intel does not release sales figures on the Itanium product line, which is targeted at high-end servers and workstations.
Last month, Intel delayed shipment of its latest Pentium 4 microprocessor after a flaw was uncovered during testing. It has since created a software fix and restarted shipments of the 3-gigahertz desktop processor.
Manetta said it's not uncommon to find glitches.
"It's something you have to live with in the semiconductor industry," he said. "We've learned through the years you don't judge what's important or what isn't when you find an erratum. Our job is to characterize it, tell our customers about it and, if a workaround is needed, then we devise it."
It was a different story in 1994, when Intel downplayed a bug in its then-new Pentium chips. After considerable attention in the media, the company finally acknowledged the problem and instituted an exchange program.
The Itanium glitch, however, will not have a material impact on the company, Manetta said.
Shares of Intel closed 41 cents higher, at $19.99, in Monday trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
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