Digital Unveils Next Generation Of Alpha Chip

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February 03, 1998 (5:06 PM EST)

Digital Unveils Next Generation Of Alpha Chip

Digital Equipment Tuesday announced the next generation Alpha chip it expects to ship by year's end. The move confirms that the Alpha's roadmap is intact despite an agreement with Intel and an acquisition by Compaq.

The 21264 Alpha chip will start at a speed of 600 MHz and a thickness of 0.35 microns. However, by the year 2000, the 21264 will be faster and thinner, checking in at 1,000 MHz and 0.18 microns, says Harry Copperman, senior VP and group executive of Digital's products division. Copperman says the 21264 will be two to five times faster than any other available technology and will continue to outperform Intel chips right through Merced. He has engineers working on chip design through the year 2004.

Copperman also believes Digital has an advantage with backward compatibility and heterogeneous system support. "Right now, we are selling customers the right to an upgrade," says Copperman. Customers who buy a NT, Unix, or OpenVMS system from Digital will be able to snap in the 21264 when it's available later this year. According to Copperman, "Merced will carry the burden of maintaining backward compatibility with 32-bit Intel technology and Hewlett-Packard's PA-RISC technology."

One analyst believes Alpha will retain a slim advantage over Intel's Merced chip. "Since 1992, there's never been a time when Alpha wasn't at the top or had a commanding lead at the top," says Jonathan Eunice, an analyst with IT advisory firm Illuminata in Nashua, N.H. "Alpha will remain at the top through Merced."