Intel sets sights on sexy multi-core future

Intel may be confusing "multi-core" with "soft-core" here, but if anyone's gonna get down and dirty with a CPU,
we'll leave it to them. Its plans for the next several years include a major focus on the "sexy" new multi-core technology, according to Intel technical manager for Australia and New Zealand Graham Tucker. This as the hardware giant unveils its first of five in the line of Pentium 4 6xx Sequence processors that usher in Intel's "64-bit ecosystem" (which is fancy for saying you'll have to wait a bit before any software actually takes advantage of 64-bit architecture). The Pentium range will go 70 percent dual-core by the end of 2006, followed by a full speed ahead push towards multi-core performance gain goodness. No word on when we'll be able to say RIP to the last of the 32-bit processor line, but we'll keep you posted on details for the memorial service.