IDF: More 'Nehalem' Details, 6-cores

Intel announced that the first ’Nehalem’ family of processors to be made available will be desktop processors (Core i7) and high-performance server products code-named Nehalem-EP.

Intel said it is planning to manufacture a second server derivative designed for the expandable server market ("Nehalem-EX"), as well as desktop (Havendale and Lynnfield) and mobile (Auburndale and Clarksfield) client versions in the second half of 2009.

All Nehalem processors will be quad-core versions initially, processing up to eight threads simultaneously, thanks to the use of a revived and updated Hyperthreading technology.

Intel’s 6-core processor code-named Dunnington will be called Xeon X7460 and is expected to become available in servers beginning next month. Intel claims that servers based on the chip already have broken performance records, including an 8-socket 48-core IBM System x3950 M2 server, which became the first platform to break the 1 million tpmC barrier on the TPC-C benchmark, Intel said.

Intel also demonstrated the company’s first mobile quad-core processor and, for the first time, the next-generation Calpella mobile platform, as well as Intel’s upcoming solid state disk drives, which will debut in 32 GB and 80 GB flavors.

More to come.