US computer chip maker Intel on Monday began shipping a speedy, power-efficient processor it claimed would turn the tables on arch-rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).
"We're back to a position we are used to having, undeniable leadership in the area of performance," Intel Vice President Tom Kilroy told a briefing of analysts and the press in San Francisco.
"It's an exciting day. Our end customers were waiting for this." Kilroy touted its freshly released Xeon 5100 series chips as the "fastest dual-processor ramp" in Intel's history.
The chips, branded Woodcrest, outperformed the best competitor AMD had to offer while using less power, according to Intel.
The Woodcrest was up to 60 percent faster than competing chips and got as much as 80 percent more performance per watt, Kilroy said, citing results gotten by "seed companies" that have tested the processors. "This is really mind boggling performance with energy savings as well," Kilroy said.
During an onstage demonstration in a hotel conference room, a system powered by a Woodcrest processor was pitted against one with AMD's top Opteron chip.
The Intel system completed a complex financial risk computer application quicker and used less electricity.
Kilroy conceded that Intel has struggled to stave off competition during the past 18 months but said the Silicon Valley company has held onto its relationships with business customers.
AMD has been gaining on Intel and recently predicted it would have 30 percent of the chip market by year's end.
Among the companies that have tested Woodcrest chips was Pixar, the computer animation film house renowned for such blockbusters as "Toy Story," "The Incredibles," "Finding Nemo," and "Cars."
The computer rooms at Pixar's studio in Emeryville, across the bay from San Francisco, is jammed full of equipment that was used non-stop to maximum capacity to make "Cars," said Vice President of Technology Greg Brandeau.
Using the Woodcrest chip, Pixar was able to increase computing performance by 30 percent while using half the electricity, according to Brandeau.
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