Intel Slashing Prices on Xeon Quad Core (Clovertown) Processors

Digitimes reports that Intel will be slashing prices 40-60% on their Quad-core server processors including the Kentsfield Xeon and the Clovertown Xeon processors in late July:

The Kentsfield Xeon X3210 and X3220 will have their prices cut to US$224 and US$266 respectively, while prices for the Clovertown Xeon E5310, E5320, E5335, E5345, and X5355 will go down to US$209, US$256, US$316, US$455, and US$744 respectively, the sources said.

The motivation for the price cuts is to ramp up shipments and to counter competition from AMDs future server processors.

Absent from the list is the Clovertown Xeon X5365 (3.0GHz) chip which is currently used in Apple's 8-Core Mac Pro. The Xeon X5365, however, may not have made the list simply because it is still not generally available to the public. Apple was one of the early customers for the Quad-core 3.0GHz Xeon, and so it's unclear if the upcoming price cuts will have any effect on the price Apple is presently paying Intel for their 3.0GHz Clovertown Xeon processors.

Regardless, it's unlikely any price cut Apple would get would necessarily be passed on to 8-Core Mac Pro customers until the next Mac Pro hardware revision from Apple.

In the meanwhile, cheaper prices on the Quad-Core processors could interest motivated Mac Pro owners interested in swapping out their existing Dual-Core processors for Quad-Core replacements. It was demonstrated in September 2006 that existing Mac Pro designs could accommodate Woodcrest (Dual Core) to Clovertown (Quad Core) upgrades.
macrumors.com

Global WiMAX market set for strong growth in 2008, says Intel executive

Huang Chien-chih, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 15 May 2007]

With the emergence of more WiMAX devices as well as initiatives by telecom services providers, the global WiMAX market is set for robust growth in 2008, according to Sriram Viswanathan, managing director of Intel Capital and general manager of Intel's WiMAX program office.

Viswanathan made the remarks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific WiMAX Conference and Exhibition, which ran from May 14-15 in Taipei.

A number of new WiMAX devices will debut in 2008, including built-in WiMAX modules for notebooks utilizing Intel's forthcoming Motevina platform, 802.16e-compliant CPE (consumer premise equipment) products and PCMCIA cards, Viswanathan noted.

WiMAX networks being set up around the globe starting in 2007 will gradually commence commercial operations in 2008 and will encourage development of the world's WiMAX industry, Viswanathan stressed.

Intel's current strategy is to focus on the development of WiMAX chips for the development of CPE products, with an aim of exploring the size of the WiMAX market, stated Viswanathan, who indicated that Intel is developing chips for base stations by investing in other companies such as Picochip and IP Access.

Taiwan-based makers are likely to play a key role in the supply chain of the global WiMAX industry through their input in product development and manufacturing capability as they did in the PC industry, Viswanathan asserted.