9. 64-bit processors
Intel faces a big job trying to lure customers away from current 64-bit processors, but Itanium, the company's first 64-bit processor, will be the one to watch in 2001.
Intel hopes to use its considerable industry muscle to supplant entrenched RISC-based systems sold by competitors such as Sun Microsystems and Compaq with the EPIC (Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing) Itanium, which was co-designed by Hewlett-Packard.
eWEEK Labs believes that the introduction of Itanium will, if nothing else, help drive down the steep prices for 64-bit RISC-based systems.
The evolution of the EPIC IA-64 processor depends largely on developments in compiler technology. We expect compiler-related improvements to come slowly, however, because ISVs face a long learning curve in adapting to the IA-64 architecture.
Itanium will be focused toward the high-end server market, in particular the database sector, where Itanium will expand memory capacity that in most cases now maxes out at 4GB for 32-bit processors.
An important secondary market will be in the workstation space, where systems will be able to use the Itanium's 64-bit power to solve complex computations.
The strong support for Itanium that Intel enjoys from virtually every major vendor of hardware and operating systems should foster the acceptance of Itanium-based servers and workstations.
IT managers contemplating the jump to 64-bit computing should also evaluate the latest operating systems before making their platform decisions. Several 64-bit systems, including Microsoft's Whistler, Novell's Modesto and 64-bit Linux, are expected to ship with Itanium-based systems next year.
