Intel, HP Reveal IA-64 Instruction Set Architecture.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 26, 1999--

Intel Corporation and Hewlett-Packard Company today published the details of the IA-64 Instruction Set Architecture (ISA).

This disclosure enables software developers from around the world to accelerate the development of the next generation of server and workstation applications based on forthcoming IA-64 processors, beginning with Merced in 2000.

The IA-64 architecture represents the most significant advancement in microprocessor architecture since the introduction of the Intel 386 processor in 1985. Released today on the Intel and HP websites, the IA-64 Application Instruction Set Architecture Guide (AIG) details the application instruction set, architecture features and programming model for IA-64 processors.

The release of today's IA-64 architecture information is the result of the research and development effort between Intel and HP announced in 1994. The alliance is aimed at developing a 64-bit instruction set architecture for advanced workstation, server and enterprise-computing systems that protects customer software investments through compatibility with Intel's IA-32 processors and HP's PA-RISC processors. IA-64 provides the capabilities that the evolving Internet economy demands and will be able to meet the increasingly large memory and performance requirements of future data warehousing, e-business and other high performance server and workstation applications.

"IA-64 advances the high end of the Intel Architecture server and workstation roadmap to address the future demands that Internet and e-business applications will place on businesses in the next decade," said Albert Yu, senior vice president and general manager Intel's Microprocessor Products Group. "Making the IA-64 architecture information publicly available now supports and accelerates the continued adoption of the IA-64 platform as we move closer to Merced production in 2000."

"IA-64 is the architecture which will meet the demands of high performance and interoperability, fueled by the next chapter of the Internet -- e-services," said Ann Livermore, president and chief executive officer of Enterprise Computing Solutions at HP. "The IA-64 platform will help businesses and consumers make the shift from working the Web to making the Web work for them."

IA-64 Architecture Details

In October 1997, Intel and HP announced that the IA-64 architecture would utilize a new technology called EPIC (Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing), based on a unique combination of advanced computer architecture concepts called speculation, predication and explicit parallelism.

The IA-64 AIG released today details the new instructions and programming model that developers can use to begin to evaluate the IA-64 architecture and write software that takes advantage of these concepts. The IA-64 architecture uses explicit information about instruction grouping, pre-fetching, predication and speculative execution to help overcome the limitations of today's RISC (Reduced Instructions Set Computing) architectures.

IA-64 processors will have massive computing resources including 128 integer registers, 128 floating-point registers, and 64 predicate registers along with a number of special-purpose registers. Instructions will be bundled in groups for parallel execution by the various functional units. The instruction set has been optimized to address the needs of cryptography, video encoding and other functions that will be increasingly needed by the next generation of servers and workstations. Support for Intel's MMX(TM) technology and Internet Streaming SIMD Extensions is maintained and extended in IA-64 processors.

The IA-64 AIG also describes IA-64 architecture compatibility with Intel's IA-32 instructions in processor hardware and with HP's PA-RISC instructions through software translation, providing investment protection for today's existing applications and software infrastructure. The complete IA-64 AIG is can be downloaded from the Intel and HP websites at http://developer.intel.com/design/ia64/index.htm and www.hp.com/go/ia-64.

Company Information

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services for business and home -- is focused on capitalizing on the opportunities of the Internet and the proliferation of electronic services.

HP had computer-related revenue of $39.5 billion in its 1998 fiscal year. HP plans to launch a new company consisting of its industry-leading test-and-measurement, semiconductor products, chemical-analysis and medical businesses. These businesses represented $7.6 billion of HP's total revenue in fiscal 1998. With leading positions in multiple market segments, this technology-based company will focus on opportunities such as communications and life sciences.

HP has 123,000 employees worldwide and had total revenue of $47.1 billion in its 1998 fiscal year. Information about HP, its products and the company's Year 2000 program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.

Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading computer manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.