The Hindu Business Line : Intel sees more cos taking to quad-core chips

Hyderabad June 7 Chip major Intel Corporation sees enterprises adapting to quad-core processors at a rapid pace in India and many of them actually leapfrogging from single-core processors.

The momentum is such that more than 50 per cent of server shipments are likely to be based on quad-core technology by the fourth quarter of 2007.

The Vice-President and General Manager of Digital Enterprise group, Intel Corporation, Mr Thomas M. Kilroy, said financial services, telecom and animation have been among areas that have taken to quad-core processors that is four brains on one chip.

Virtualisation

This growth is well supported by the increasing demand for virtualisation that is the ability to access information seamlessly. This meant that in areas where there is data explosion and requirement for business intelligence solutions, the adoption is much faster.

Speaking to Business Line during his India visit, Mr Kilroy said about two thirds of time is engaged in interacting with enterprises helping them address their business requirements. This also called for a lot of localisation.

It is in areas such as this that services providers such as Infosys, TCS and Wipro are playing an important role.

Intel has developed many critical partnerships to suit the requirements of the local markets. This is backed by support from system integrators and original equipment manufacturers and other partners. This has broadened the reach and capability to address even small- and medium enterprise market, which is among the fastest growing area, Mr Kilroy said.

Price-conscious users

While the growth of quad-core processors is a reality, it does not mean the end of single core processors. There continues to be a large segment of price-conscious users who would continue to use single core processors.

The Director of Marketing, Intel South Asia, Mr John McLure, said that the Indian telecom sector is an example of adoption of quad-core technologies directly moving from legacy systems. Asked if they expect to see quad-core desktop PCs, Mr Kilroy said: "That might not be the case, as dual-core processors handle most of the tasks in PCs. In the case of gaming enthusiasts, and in the case of workstations, we may find quad core making inroads."