...Pentium Microprocessor Flaw NT1110 19 October, 2013 Pentium Microprocessor Flaw Pentium microprocessor flaw was in the floating-point math subsection. The flaw was found where the division result returned by the Pentium microprocessor was off by approximately sixty-one parts per million. Once Intel pinpointed the flaw, their solution was to keep the information within the company and not disclose the information to the public. Regardless of the fact that the flaw did not affect all microprocessors, it actually only affected a very small number of customers, Intel should have openly acknowledged the problem. When customers would call into Intel with issues concerning the flaw, Intel would input a certain code into it in order to verify that was in fact the problem. Once the problem was identified, Intel then would implement a solution. However, if Intel had openly accepted and informed the clients about the issue, it most likely would have saved them not only money but also their reputation between the company and their existing clients. Needless to say, their decision resulted in some very unhappy customers. If this same type of flaw was to be found in a new CPU today, the company would surely fail. With a problem in the floating-point math subsection with an error of approximately sixty-one parts per million, this would cause too many problems for the clients today. Especially considering that Intel declined the opportunity to inform their customers and supply a solution...
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...Case Analysis Intel Corporation: 1968-2008 Case 6 Name: Po-Hsun Lo ID: 11018704 Date: 01/22/2012 Abstract Intel, the leading manufacturer of microprocessor since 1985, possessed 77.46% worldwide share of microprocessors for personal computers in 2007. Revenue of Intel kept increasing even during the recession of 2007, and Cost of goods sold reduced from 2005 to 2007. Such overwhelming performance pushed its major competitor, AMD that was expected to lose $1 billion on sales in 2007, to the edge. Although Intel had ruled the microprocessors for PCs, the growth of PCs market started showing slump, which meant exploring new market is getting importance to Intel. Corporation Overview Founded by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore in 1968, Intel started business by manufacturing dynamic random access memories (DRAMs) based on the technique from Fairchild. Besides the two founders, big part of early success of Intel was attributed by Andy Grove, one of researchers hired as Intel founded. Andy was charged as director of operations, so he had designed the first manufactory of Intel producing in competitive cost. His attributions and performance resulted in that he was named CEO in 1987 and positioned CEO until 1998. His management philosophy was detail oriented; everything must be constantly checked, especially about driving down cost and speeding up development processes. Therefore, Intel is always leading on product innovation in microprocessors industry. Intel strongly grew...
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...Professional Management Skills Assessment Word Count: 2600 This case analyzes the strategy of AMD, a microprocessor manufacturer which is a direct competitor of another microprocessor company, Intel. Between the two companies the competition has never been really balanced because of Intel’s much more Important Size and budget. AMD has found itself in a bad shape several times but has always success in overcoming difficulties resulting from its far smaller market shares and – over the years – has built a strategy to survive and strengthen its position against its giant competitor Intel. What would it take for AMD to see significant increase in its market share in processors used in corporate desktops and notebooks? How can the success of Opteron in the server segment be leveraged to other segments? It would take a lot for AMD to catch up with Intel as the gap in terms of market share between the two companies is huge. Except in very specialized niche markets, Intel has kept a significant leadership in every segments, including the server microprocessor market where AMD best performed. Still in the second quarter of 2010, the domination of Intel over the market was undeniable with 86.1% market share against 13.7% for AMD on the pc processor segment, 72.2% against 27.5% on the desktop microprocessor market and a 93.5% market share against 6.5% on the x 86 server microprocessor segment. (Michelle Maisto citing IDC, 2010). Moreover as mentioned by Ofek and Barley “Intel’s dominant...
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...The key marketing challenge Intel is facing today is generating awareness about the mosaic of technological possibilities using the microcontroller based computers. To tackle this issue without having to enter unexplored markets and face the risk of diluting the brand is another major challenge. Intel, with a share of nearly 80% of the Microprocessor market, could be termed the “ingredient” monopoly of the PC market but with products like Cell phones and PDAs on the rise and with market share as low as 1% in cell phone chipset, trying to come up with an effective distribution and advertising strategy to help maintain their market position is the need of the hour The first solution to overcome this challenge is to integrate the microprocessors with a variety of technologies using the impeccable R&D facilities available to ensure a larger pool of customers is catered to. Apart from allocation of significant amount of revenue towards R&D to come up with innovative products for customers, Intel needs to focus on building relations with pioneers in the fields of consumer electronics, telecommunication, space science and industrial engineering. By working with them Intel could gain a wider market presence and a diverse portfolio. Also, an effective advertising strategy which focuses on educating the customers about the power of technology through videos, blogs and interactive websites needs to be implemented. This would help highlight the emphasis laid on technology and also...
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...Intel is known as the world’s largest chip manufacturer, based on revenues. The company mainly influenced the development of personal computers due to their invention of the world’s first microprocessor in 1971. Michael Moore, the cofounder of Intel, established Moore's Law which says that the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. This builds the basis for the semiconductor industry of setting up their future development plan. Over the years, Intel fulfilled this rule and did not stop to improve its microprocessors all the time. Intel developed further over the years from just manufacturing microprocessors to providing platform solutions. One main customer of Intel is Hewlett-Packard, a major operating IT company in the world which produces computers as well as smartphones. Their buying centre consists of a team of 16 representatives from event marketing, procurement, and executive management. This team is considered as... Intel is known as the world’s largest chip manufacturer, based on revenues. The company mainly influenced the development of personal computers due to their invention of the world’s first microprocessor in 1971. Michael Moore, the cofounder of Intel, established Moore's Law which says that the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. This builds the basis for the semiconductor industry of setting...
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...Intel Corporation Strategic Analysis Group-11 Maithilee Deshmukh-123 Siddhesh Hegde-51 Swapnil Wagh-53 Swati Agrawal-54 (PGDM-B) Group-11 CONTENTS 1. History & Introduction 2. Industry Analysis 2.1 Porter’s Five Forces Framework 2.2 Complementors & Strategic Groups 2.3 Life Cycle Analysis 2.4 SWOT Analysis 2.5 PESTEL Analysis 3. Internal Analysis 3.1 Resource Based View Analysis 3.2 VRIO Framework 4. Business Strategy 5. Tetra-Threat Framework 6. Conclusion Porter’s Five Forces Analysis Threat of New Entrants (Low) 1) High Industry Profitability (+) 2) Large fixed costs (-) 3) Economies of scale in research, chip fabrication, consumer marketing etc. (-) The microprocessor market is characterized by short product life cycles, rapid advances in product design, competitive pricing and process technology. This means if firms want to be competitive in the industry they have to invest large amounts of fixed cost to create specialized facilities for production as well as continuously devote large amounts of funds to research and development in order to keep producing top-of-the-line products. Supply side economies of scale give large microprocessor firms advantages in R&D. Since the cost of creating one extra microprocessor is relatively insignificant the larger production size allows R&D costs to be distributed over a larger number of chips. 4) Learning economies & requirement...
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...TermPaperWarehouse.com - Free Term Papers, Essays and Research Documents The Research Paper Factory Join Search Browse Saved Papers Home Page » Computers and Technology Intel Pentium Microprocessor Flaw In: Computers and Technology Intel Pentium Microprocessor Flaw Pentium Microprocessor Flaw NT1110 Pentium Microprocessor Flaw Pentium microprocessor flaw was in the floating-point math subsection. The flaw was found where the division result returned by the Pentium microprocessor was off by approximately sixty-one parts per million. Once Intel pinpointed the flaw, their solution was to keep the information within the company and not disclose the information to the public. Regardless of the fact that the flaw did not affect all microprocessors, it actually only affected a very small number of customers, Intel should have openly acknowledged the problem. When customers would call into Intel with issues concerning the flaw, Intel would input a certain code into it in order to verify that was in fact the problem. Once the problem was identified, Intel then would implement a solution. However, if Intel had openly accepted and informed the clients about the issue, it most likely would have saved them not only money but also their reputation between the company and their existing clients. Needless to say, their decision resulted in some very unhappy customers. If this same type of flaw was to be found in a new CPU today, the company...
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...INTEL CASE - Explain Intel's strategies and their evolution in time. - Analyze critically Intel's strategies. Bob, Gordon and Andrew established in California in 1968 a world famous company: Intel. At the beginning, this company produced semiconductor memory chips; however, as we will explain during this paper Intel’s production shifted into other fields. The main strategy Intel had was innovation the design of the product and being the first ones to achieve the market with the newest devices. This strategy entailed that the company was positioned at the cutting-edge in investments and infrastructure. Therefore, Intel invested a large amount of money in R&D, and underwent a strong investment in manufacture equipment in the beginning of the firm. This strategy positioned Intel were differently than the rest of competitors, always trying to achieve the first position in the competition. However, the first two products (1101 and 3101), introduced in 1969, did not succeed. In 1971, Intel managed to produce the world best selling semiconductor memory chips. In the years that followed, Japanese companies achieved to overtake to Intel with DRAMS semiconductors, these being more efficient, fast and cheaper than Intel’s. Later on Intel created the second generation of microprocessors and IBM entered in the microcomputers market with the PCs. Within this framework , Intel had to compete with Motorola and establish an alliance with IBM. Then, Intel developed Project Crush...
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...TASK 1 AbaKus Technology Interest Group at IIMK INTRODUTION Founded on July 18, 1968 by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, Intel manufactures the Intel computer processors, Intel Overdrive CPU upgrades, networking devices, and is considered by most to be 'the' company that has influenced the hardware market. The Company offers platforms that incorporate various components and technologies, including a microprocessor and chipset, a stand-alone system-on-chip (SoC) or a multichip package. The Company offers microprocessors with one or multiple processor cores. In addition, its Intel Core processor families integrate graphics functionality onto the processor die. The Company offers and develops SoC products that integrate the Company’s central processing units (CPU) with other system components, such as graphics, audio, imaging, communication and connectivity, and video, onto a single chip. The Company offers a multichip package that integrates the chipset on one die with the CPU and graphics on another die, connected through an on-package interface. The Company also offers fifth generation Intel Core processor, code-named Broadwell. The Company offers manufacturing technologies and design services for its customers. Its foundry offerings include full custom silicon, packaging, and manufacturing test services. It also provides semi-custom services to tailor Intel architecture-based solutions with customers' intellectual property blocks. The Company also offers design kits, intellectual...
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...FINA - 010 Intel: Managing Working Capital Introduction op y In early 2004, Intel was the undisputed leader in the microprocessor industry with about 90% market share. Since 1968 when it was founded, Intel had launched many groundbreaking products. By 2004, it had 450 products and services ranging from the ubiquitous PC microprocessors like Pentium, the 64-bit high-end Itanium 2 to mobile computing chipsets such as Centrino. Intel ended 2002 with revenues of $ 26.7 billion. Many analysts believed Intel’s success was as much about technology as about management. They attributed the success of Intel to its unbroken leadership chain. As one great leader retired, another took over. While Intel was well known for innovation, it had also attempted to be a disciplined company that maximized operational efficiency. Intel realized that as competition intensified, working capital management would become increasingly important. Exhibit: I Intel, Corporate Snapshot 1968 78,000 $26.7 Bill over 450 65 INTC N ot C Year founded: Number of employees: Revenues (2002): Products and services: Fortune 500 ranking: Stock symbol: Worldwide offices and facilities: 294 Source: Intel, corporate website www.intel.com D o Corporate Background A popular story which went around in Intel was that one weekend afternoon in the spring of 1968, Gordon Moore (Moore) dropped by Robert Noyce's (Noyce) home. The two decided to launch a new company to pursue large-scale integrated (LSI) memory. That...
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...leveraged to other segments? 5 2.What do you make of amd’s “power campaign”? Is the value proposition it highlights compelling to end users? 6 3. How concerned should amd be about intel’s imminent new product plan? will they hamper amd’s growth plans? 7 4. WILL AMD’S CUSTOMER CENTRIC APPROACH BE A SOURCE OF ADVANTAGE OVER INTEL? 8 5. WILL IT YIELD COMMERCIALLY VIABLE INNOVATIONS THAT ARE DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT THAN THOSE INTEL WILL DEVELOP? 10 Conclusion 11 LIST OF REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 12 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY For years, AMD held the place of a distant follower of the large microprocessor market leader, Intel. Up to there, the competitor Intel hold a “push” strategy by creating consumer needs thanks to technological innovations. Those were linked with strong marketing campaign in order to facilitate a quicker adoption process of their new product line. However, in 2003, AMD change its traditional strategy to use a widely different one by switching into a blue ocean strategy. Indeed, AMD has changed course to become a “starter” firm. AMD has decided to launch at first its own brand server microprocessor range, called “Opteron” before one of Intel. At this moment, the firm made the decision to initiate the moves of server segment and therefore take heavier risks in term of investments, sales, pushing partners to adopt their new technology, reliability of their new products and also regarding their credibility of the market. Corporate desktop segment is for mass market...
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...What strategy did Intel use to gain a competitive advantage in microprocessors? Intel gained its competitive advantage by focusing on its competitors, buyers and suppliers. The company focused mainly on a strategy of leadership at the development stage in conjunction with an aggressive marketing campaign. Intel faced a dual threat from outside companies making Clones and RISC architecture. Intel was able to counter these threats by being a leader in innovation of new products. Intel continued to improve its products at a very high rate, which greatly helped Intel command a premium lead in its technology and product offerings over the competition. This is a highly technical field with new technology in chips demanding higher and more premium chips. Even with updating the facilities this means also to utilize economies of scale to gain a cost advantage, these combinations will give the ability to introduce new chips to increase their profit margins. The aggressive marketing campaign such as the Crush and Checkmate campaigns along with the latest Intel Inside campaign that has played a major role in gaining a competitive edge and building brand recognition for the company. What threats has Intel faced in sustaining its competitive advantage in microprocessors? Intel has faced many threats over the course of the years. Intel has been threatened by other entrants to the microprocessor market virtually since they started making microprocessors. The Asia firms have proven...
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...9-797-137 REV. MAY 22, 2008 DAVID COLLIS GARY PISANO Intel Corporation: 1968-1997 By January 1997, Intel, a Silicon Valley start-up, had attained a stock market valuation of $113 billion that ranked it among the top five American companies. Much of Intel’s success had been due to microprocessors, a product it invented in 1971 and in which it continued to set the pace. Despite the company’s illustrious history and enviable success, its Chairman and CEO, Andy Grove, worried about the challenges ahead: Business success contains the seeds of its own destruction. The more successful you are, the more people want a chunk of your business and then another chunk and then another until there is nothing left. I believe that the prime responsibility of a manager is to guard constantly against other people’s attacks.1 This case begins by describing Intel’s origins as a semiconductor company before turning to its evolution into the leading manufacturer of microprocessors. Intel: The Early Years Intel was founded in 1968 by Robert Noyce (one of the co-inventors of the integrated circuit) and Gordon Moore, both of whom had been senior executives at Fairchild Semiconductors. They, in turn, recruited Andy Grove, who was then Assistant Director of Research at Fairchild. From the beginning, this trio was the driving force behind Intel. The company’s initial strategy was to develop semiconductor memory chips for mainframe computers and minicomputers. Andy Grove recalled that after receiving...
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...would purchase Opteron, AMD’s server microprocessor, for its highest-end server line. Dell had long been an Intel-only shop. Landing Dell as a customer was the culmination of a four-year effort that AMD had codenamed Project MAID. Sunnyvale, California-based AMD designed and manufactured microprocessors for the computing, communications, and consumer electronics markets. With roughly 10,000 employees, the semiconductor company had 2005 revenues of $5.8 billion, a 17% increase over 2004. The 2003 launch of Opteron and the company’s AMD64 technology ushered in a new chapter in AMD’s history. Traditionally, AMD had been a distant follower to Intel, which had a dominant position in microprocessors for the server and personal computer (PC) markets. However, Intel’s dominance was eroding as Opteron gained acceptance and AMD focused on “customer-centric innovation” under Ruiz, who was appointed CEO in 2002. Driven by Opteron’s success, AMD’s unit share in servers for the second quarter of 2006 rose to 26%, up from 11% in Q2 of 2005.1 The top four computer-makers that sold the vast majority of servers—Hewlett-Packard (HP), Sun Microsystems (Sun), IBM, and Dell—now offered at least one Opteron-based server. Furthermore, AMD’s presence in the lucrative corporate segment was growing: 90% of the top 100 Forbes Global 2000 were using AMD64 technology by the end of 2005.2 And, AMD reported higher margins than Intel in the first quarter of 2006. AMD...
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...Pentium floating-point unit flaw only occurred on some models of the original Pentium microprocessor chip. Professor Nicely, a professor of mathematics at Lynchburg College, had written code to enumerate primes, twin primes, prime triplets, and prime quadruplets. Prof. Nicely noticed some inconsistencies in the calculations in June, 1994, shortly after adding a Pentium system to his group of computers, but was unable to eliminate other possible factors until October, 1994. On October 24th, 1994 he reported the flaw he encountered to Intel. The person that he contacted at Intel later admitted being aware of the flaw since May 1994. The flaw was discovered by Intel during testing of the FPU for its new P6 core, which was first used in the Pentium Pro. An example of the flaw was found where the division result returned by the Pentium microprocessor was off by about 61 parts per million. In November, 1994 the story first broke in an article published in Electronic Engineering Times. In the story, Intel says it has corrected the glitch in subsequent runs of the chip, and Intel dismisses the importance of the flaw saying, "This doesn't even qualify as errata." The story was later picked up by other national and international media. On November 30, 1994 Intel released an in-house study of the flaw, "Statistical Analysis of Floating Point Flaw in the Pentium Processor" H.P. Sharangpani and M.L. Barton, Intel Corporation. The study on the processor minimized the potential impact of the flaw...
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