Intel says there is shortage of Pentium IIs

Intel has confirmed there is a shortage of Pentium II processors, particularly of the 350MHz flavour. That transpired after Intel's chief technology officer Andy Bryant briefed Wall Street analysts yesterday and told them his company had "sold out of chips" for the fourth quarter. An Intel representative said: "There is a shortage of 350MHz Pentium IIs, particularly in Europe." He said that the shortfall was due to increased demand. "We'll catch up on the backlog in the next three weeks," he said. However, the increased demand for processors means Intel's results, as it predicted last week, are likely to be better than it or the markets thought. Mark Davison, processor product manager at UK distributor Datrontech, said: "There is a shortage of both 350MHz and 333MHz parts. A lot of shipments haven't arrived and we're not expecting some to do so until December." He said: "The 350MHz Pentium II hits the sweet spot for both performance and price." Demand for Intel chips was strong, said Davison, even at the expensive 450MHz Pentium II level. ®