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MAYNARD, Mass., March 4, 1996 -- Digital Equipment Corporation today announced a new version of the Alpha 21164 chip that extends its lead as the industry's fastest, highest-performance microprocessor. The new chip is manufactured in Digital Semiconductor's latest, 0.35-micron CMOS process that yields higher clock speeds and performance, a smaller die size, and substantially lower power dissipation.
"The Alpha 21164 microprocessor strengthens Digital's position as the industry's performance leader, superior to all other RISC and CISC chips either shipping or sampling," said Ed Caldwell, vice president, Digital Semiconductor. "The Alpha architecture has continuously held the top spot in performance for four years, a feat unprecedented in the computer industry, and we expect it to stay there."
The Alpha 21164 chip's strong floating point performance is especially important in the fast-growing market for multimedia applications, which make extensive use of image and video processing, 3D modeling, photorealistic rendering and animation.
Two Clock Speeds Available
The new Alpha 21164 chip is available immediately at two clock speeds, 366MHz and 400MHz. Estimated performance ratings are as follows:
Processor SPECint92 SPECfp92 SPECint95 SPECfp95
Alpha 21164-400MHz 500 655 11.7 15.9
Alpha 21164-366MHz 453 600 10.6 14.8
Lower Power Consumption
Manufactured in a 0.35-micron, four-layer-metal CMOS process, the new microprocessor dissipates 20 watts of power at 366MHz, lower than the Intel Pentium Pro 150MHz chip.
A faster version of the Alpha 21164, at 433MHz, is expected in mid-1996, and a 500MHz version will be available by the end of the year. The 21172 PCI core logic chipset, to support system implementations, is available immediately. A new evaluation board to aid system development will be released in the spring.
Alpha Leads RISC for Windows
Alpha is the leading RISC architecture for the Windows market, with more than 1,500 ported, native-mode Windows NT applications. The forthcoming release of the Digital FX!32 translation-emulation software will enable Alpha microprocessors to run all 32-bit Windows applications at up to 70 percent of native Alpha speeds.
"With total Windows application compatibility and unprecedented performance, Alpha systems enable engineers and artists to exercise greater creativity and innovation than in the past," Caldwell added. "Alpha's performance, up to two times that of Intel's Pentium Pro, positions it to become the Windows processor of choice for compute- intensive applications such as image rendering, 3D animation, and both electronic and mechanical computer-aided design."
The new Alpha 21164 chip is priced at $1,602 for the 366MHz version and $1,913 for the 400MHz version, both in quantities of 1,000. Samples are available today and volume shipments will begin in the spring.
Digital Semiconductor, a Digital Equipment Corporation business headquartered in Hudson, Massachusetts, designs, manufactures and markets industry-leading semiconductor products including Alpha microprocessors and PCI chips for networking, bridging, and multimedia, as well as low-power StrongARM microprocessors under license from Advanced RISC Machines Ltd. Mitsubishi Electric Company is a second source for Alpha microprocessors. World Wide Web site: http://www.digital.com/info/semiconductor
Digital Equipment Corporation is the world's leader in open client/server solutions from personal computing to integrated worldwide information systems. Digital's scalable Alpha platforms, storage, networking, software and services, together with industry- focused solutions from business partners, help organizations compete and win in today's global marketplace.