At launch, the K7 will be released at a clock speed of 550MHz and Intel will face pressure at the high end. That information is available at JC's pages and is a translation of an interview with Kazuo Sakai, president of AMD Japan. The introduction of the 550MHz K7 will precipitate a gladiatoral battle between AMD and Chipzilla, Sakai predicts. According to the report, Intel introduced the Celeron because it faced a threat from AMD. Although the fight was tough for AMD, the intro of the K7 will push Intel's pricing on the midrange to the limit. As reported here at the launch of the K6, AMD believes that Intel's manufacturing model means they have to capitalise on large margins at the midrange and high end. ®