Updated So farewell, then, the 2GHz 0.18 micron Foster Xeon, knocked on the head because a faster, 0.13 micron version with more cache is coming within three months of its once-anticipated launch.

The canned server-oriented Xeon is, of course, identical to the 2GHz Xeon Intel is soon to launch for the workstation market - and not so far off the regular desktop P4. In other words, the decision to pull one part and continue with the other is down to sales and marketing considerations, not with technology.

Clearly Intel believes that customers wouldn't bother with the Foster part when the 0.13 micron Prestonia chip was just around the corner. Prestonia will replace Foster in the workstation market too, but workstations require less validation than servers, so it makes sense for vendors to offer the 2GHz processor as soon as it's available and just upgrade to Prestonia as and when. ®

If you happen have a copy of Intel's latest server roadmaps, feel free to mail a copy here.

October 2001

·2GHz Xeon - 0.18 micron Foster - 256KB on-die L2 (workstations)

Q4 2001

·Itanium - 0.18 micron McKinley - 1.5-3MB on-die L2, 400MHz FSB (pilot programme)
·1.6GHz+ Xeon - 0.18 micron Foster - 512KB/1MB on-die L3 (four/eight-way servers)
·700MHz Pentium III - 0.13 micron Tualatin - 512KB L2, 100MHz FSB, 1.1V core (uni-processor thin, low-power servers)
·Chipsets: i870, Enabled

Q1 2002

·2GHz, 2.2GHz Xeon - 0.13 micron Prestonia - 512KB on-die L2 (workstations, dual-processer servers)
·2GHz, 2.2GHz Xeon - 0.13 micron Low-Power Prestonia (low-power rack servers)
·1.4GHz Pentium III - 0.13 micron Tualatin - 512KB on-die L2
·700MHz Pentium III - 0.13 micron Tualatin - 512KB on-die L2, 100MHz FSB, 1.1V core (dual-processor thin, low-power servers)
·Chipset: Plumas - DDR support + Infiniband

Q2 2002

·2.4GHz Xeon - 0.13 micron Prestonia (workstations, dual-processer servers)
·??GHz Xeon - 0.13 micron Galatin (four/eight-way servers)
·Itanium - 0.18 micron McKinley - 1.5-3MB on-die L2, 400MHz FSB (launched as commercial product)

Q3 2002

·750MHz Pentium III - 0.13 micron Tualatin - 512KB on-die L2, 100MHz FSB, 1.1V core (uni- and dual-processor thin, low-power servers)

2003

·Itanium - 0.13 micron Madison - 3-6MB on-die L2 (workstations, dual- and multi-processor servers)
·Itanium - 0.13 micron Deerfield - 3-6MB on-die L2 (rack servers)