Intel plans to unveil its first processor with 64-bit extensions technology next week, according to sources familiar with the company's plans. Back in February, Intel announced that Nocona, code name for the next-generation of the Xeon processor, would be the company's first chip to incorporate EM64T technology. EM64T is Intel's name for its 64-bit extensions to the x86 instruction set, a concept pioneered by rival chip maker Advanced Micro Devices.

Intel will release Nocona on Monday along with the Tumwater chipset for workstations, sources say. The Lindenhurst chipset for servers will follow in the third quarter, the sources say. An Intel spokesperson declines to comment on the unannounced products.

AMD's Arrival

The Nocona processor will allow workstations and servers to run both 32-bit and 64-bit applications on the same system, provided that server uses a 64-bit operating system. AMD was the first to introduce such a processor with the launch of the Opteron chip in April of 2003. As AMD worked toward the release of Opteron, Intel shied away from making concrete predictions about its plans for x86 servers with 64-bit extensions, and said 64-bit desktops wouldn't appear until the end of the decade.

Source: neowin.net