Intel uncorks quad cores and a teraflop chip
 

THE LAST FEW Intel Developer Forums were part of the long, slow lead-up to the introduction of the Core microarchitecture and the replacement of its Netburst predecessor. Now that Core-based chips have begun shipping in the form of the Core 2 Duo and the Xeon 5100 series, Intel is working hard to sweep the Netburst era under the rug and move forward with its impressive new processor lineup—even as Netburst-based products continue to ship. And, I suppose, who could blame them? Chips based on the Core microarchitecture have proven to be everything Intel promised, with very low per use and a substantial performance lead over AMD's best CPUs. Naturally, this fall's IDF is focused less on next-generation products than it is on the Core-based present and very near future.

Nevertheless, Intel confirmed one expectation for us in firming up its plans for quad-core processors, and then it upended our preconceived notions with the revelation of a parallel floating-point monster capable of delivering over a teraflop of computing power. Read on for our take on these IDF announcements.