INDUSTRY

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Intel Corporation today introduced three new single-chip Gigabit Ethernet products for desktop PCs, workstations and servers that are up to 45 percent smaller and use less power than previous products. The products include the world's first-dual port, single-chip controller enabling server manufacturers to add two Gigabit Ethernet network connections in the same amount of space previously required for a single connection, and a new single port, single-chip Gigabit Ethernet controller for workstations. Also, Intel introduced the world's first Gigabit Ethernet controller optimized for desktop PCs helping to reduce the cost of deploying Gigabit Ethernet network connections in those systems by up to 50 percent. According to industry analyst Dell'Oro Group, the Gigabit Ethernet network connection market segment grew at 30 percent in the fourth quarter of 2001, with Intel increasing its position as the worldwide leader to 60 percent market segment share. "High performance servers and desktop PCs require high performance network connections to satisfy an increasing demand for network services and to improve the performance of common applications," said Tim Dunn, general manager of Intel's LAN Access Division. "Intel's controllers are optimized for servers, workstations and desktop PCs in which high performance, lower power and motherboard space constraints are primary considerations." Dual Port Controller Optimized for High Density Servers The new controllers include the Intel(R) 82546EB Gigabit Ethernet controller, a dual port, single-chip controller for servers, and the Intel(R) 82545EM Gigabit Ethernet controller, a single port, single-chip controller for workstations. Both controllers support the PCI-X bus interface for more efficient networking and the Alerting Standard Format 1.0 and SMBus 2.0 specifications for enhanced server and workstation manageability. Both controllers come with the Intel(R) Advanced Network Services software, which helps improve the uptime of servers and removes server bottlenecks by providing support for fault tolerance, load balancing and link aggregation. Smaller than the size of a dime, the single-chip Intel(R) 82540EM Gigabit Ethernet controller for copper-based networks is 45 percent smaller than previous Gigabit Ethernet controllers and is optimized for desktop PCs. This allows system manufacturers to reduce costs by designing a single motherboard that can accommodate either a Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet connection in the same space. For more information visit www.intel.com