Intel Developer Forum The CEO of Intel, Craig Barrett, will today demonstrate the company's 64-bit Merced chip in silicon rather than simulation. Barrett will open the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) with a keynote speech and position Merced as a solution for high end services, including e-commerce. Intel will also announce a further series of IA-64 initiatives including a specification called DIG64, intended to promote cross interoperability between Merced and other platforms. The operating systems which should run on Merced include Linux, IBM/SCOs Monterey, Win64, HP/UX, Sun Solaris and Novell Modesto. We reported recently that Intel had succeeded in producing successful silicon and had managed to boot Linux but was having problems with booting Win64 (see Merced silicon happens: Linux runs, NT doesn't). Tomorrow will demonstrate whether a small army of developers from Microsoft have been able to iron out teething problems with the silicon. ® Full IDF Summer 99 coverage