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Is Intel about to rid itself of 16,000 workers - just over 16 per cent of its global workforce - later this month? So suggest whispers doing the rounds among Silicon Valley's technology community at the moment. That's what blogger Omid Rahmat claims (http://omid.tomshardware.com/2006/05/intels_amd_mome.html?www.reghardware.co.uk) at least. It's certainly no secret that Intel is examining every part of its business for signs of under-performance - CEO Paul Otellini said as much in April this year. "In terms of non-performing businesses, anything with a bracket will be looked at," he said. "It would be too simplistic to simply do a reduction in...

Chip-level attacks target a vulnerability in the processor rather than the software Researchers have claimed that "chip-level threats" pose a potential problem for Intel-powered Mac systems. A chip-level attack targets a feature or vulnerability in the processor rather than attacking software as is the case with nearly all today's security threats. Examples of chip-level attacks are rare. The last known serious outbreak dates back to 1998, when the CIH/Chernobyl virus embedded itself into the flash-BIOS of infected systems. Security vendor McAfee said in a recent white paper about security challenges for Apple systems that chip-level threats are a potential problem...

Exclusive Did Apple make a mistake by switching to Intel? We may never know, but Apple had more options than has been previously reported, The Register can exclusively reveal. A chip start-up that created a high performance, low power processor compatible with existing Mac software had been working closely with the computer company for many months. Rackspace, The Managed Hosting Specialist - its all we do! - Click here to find out more Apple was looking for a new chip supplier largely because it was struggling to find a decent part for its key laptop line. IBM could not deliver...

SAN JOSE, Calif. — In a major shift in strategy, Dell Computer Corp. on Thursday (May 18) said that it would roll out new servers, based on microprocessors from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. The disclosure, revealed in Dell’s first-quarter results, indicated that the PC giant would introduce new servers based on AMD’s Opteron line of 64-bit processors by year’s end. The news represents a boost for AMD (Sunnyvale, Calif.), but it is also a major blow for Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, Calif.). Since its inception, Dell has primarily used x86-based microprocessors from one vendor: Intel. Dell will continue to use...

Dell Inc. said Thursday it will begin using chips from Advanced Micro Devices rather than its rival Intel Corp., as the computer maker posted a first quarter drop in net income. Round Rock, Texas-based Dell had an exclusive agreement with Santa Clara-based Intel, but said in its second-quarter earnings press release that it will switch to Sunnyvale-based Advanced Micro Devices chips in some of its products by the end of the year. Dell, which had lowered its forecast last week, posted net income of $762 million, or 33 cents a share, compared with $934 million, or 37 cents a...

Top chip analysts expect Intel to cleave off its flash memory and communications businesses in the coming months as the company tries to cut costs and compete better against AMD. Despite these moves, however, Intel will never regain the astonishing market dominance it once enjoyed. Intel CEO Paul Otellini warned last month (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/04/28/intel_preps_restructure/) that he will create a "leaner, more agile and more efficient" company by looking for underperforming business units to restructure. A group of top chip pundits believe the units in question will be Intel's flash memory group and its teams working on chips made for wireless and...

[May 14, 2006] M15 INFILTRATED BY AL-QAEDA (Sunday Mirror Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TERRORISTS from al-Qaeda have infiltrated Britain's security services, the Sunday Mirror can reveal. Bosses at M15 believe they unwittingly recruited the Muslim extremists after the July 7 suicide bombings in London last year which killed 52 people. They were signed up as part of a drive to find more Muslims and Arabic speakers to work as spies to help prevent future attacks by Osama bin Laden fantatics. Spymasters found some of the agents in Britain's universities and colleges and persuaded them to pass on information about suspected...

SAN FRANCISCO — Intel Corp. has unified its next-generation desktop and notebook multicore processor families under the name Core2 Duo as part of a new naming convention for multicore products, the company said Monday (May 8). Intel (Santa Clara, Calif.) unified the desktop and notebook multicore processor brands, formerly codenamed Conroe and Merom, respectively, under the Core2 Duo brand as part of a new branding strategy. Henceforth, Intel said, multicore processors will be designated by a word that signifies the number of processing core, such as "Duo" for two, and a number to denote the generation, such as "2" for...

WASHINGTON (AP) - A leading Republican came out against the front-runner for CIA director, Gen. Michael Hayden, saying Sunday the spy agency should not have military leadership during a turbulent time among intelligence agencies. Members of the Senate committee that would consider President Bush's nominee also expressed reservations, saying the CIA is a civilian agency and putting Hayden atop it would concentrate too much power in the military for intelligence matters. Bush was expected to nominate a new director as early as Monday to replace Porter Goss, who abruptly resigned on Friday. But opposition to Hayden because of his military...

A year after a presidential commission gave a scathing assessment of intelligence on Iran, they say, American spy agencies remain severely handicapped in their efforts to assess its weapons programs and its leaders' intentions. Whoever takes the helm of the C.I.A., after the resignation on Friday of Porter J. Goss, will confront a crucial target with few, if any, American spies on the ground, sketchy communications intercepts and ambiguous satellite images, the experts say. "Whenever the C.I.A. says 5 to 10 years, that means they don't know," said Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former Iran specialist in the clandestine service of...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Intel Corp. said on Tuesday it plans to spend $1 billion (549 million pounds) to promote Internet use and computer training in developing countries, the latest move in the No. 1 chip maker's effort to break into new markets. The program, which Intel has dubbed "World Ahead," aims to bring high-speed wireless Internet access to 1 billion people who can't get online, while training 10 million teachers to use technology in education. The Santa Clara, California-based company said it would back those goals with $1 billion of spending over five years. "Decades of providing technology in...

Rambus (RMBS:Nasdaq - commentary - research - Cramer's Take) won a major court victory Monday when a jury found that South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor infringed on the company's patents. A federal court jury in San Jose, Calif., found that Hynix, the world's No. 2 computer memory maker, infringed on all 10 patents at issue, and awarded Rambus $307 million, according to Pacific American Securities analyst Michael Cohen, who has been attending the trial for the past month.

Apple on Monday introduced the 17-inch version of its Intel-powered MacBook Pro. The new laptop computer will start shipping next week for $2,799. The 17-inch MacBook Pro features a 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo processor. It has a 667MHz front side bus (FSB) and 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 2GB. The new large screen-equipped MacBook Pro makes its debut during this week’s National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. David Moody, Apple’s vice president of worldwide Mac product marketing, told Macworld that the 17-inch laptop is a good fit for the pro video market. Like the 15-inch...

Growing up in Miami, young Cuban Americans rolled their eyes whenever the older generation warned there were spies everywhere. Agents of Fidel Castro who blended into el exilio and reported back to the island? It seemed too dime-store-novel to be true. But over the years, proof poured in. The latest: alleged Cuban agents at Florida International University. The old-timers have felt vindicated every time a spy is discovered -- just because they were paranoid didn't mean spies weren't out to get them. But just how damaging have those spies been? Whatever intelligence they may have swiped, their greatest toll could...

WASHINGTON, (UPI) -- Microsoft is the latest company to be subpoenaed by chip maker Advanced Micro Devices for its antitrust lawsuit against rival Intel Corp. AMD filed the suit Monday with the U.S. District Court in Delaware which instructs the PC company to produce unlimited documents necessary for its claim that Intel has bullied companies as part of its business practices. Microsoft has until May 15 to hand over the requested hardcopy and electronic documents which also includes e-mail, instant messages, shared network files, and databases dating as far back as January 2000.

The PC market was emerging fast, and IBM wanted to hit the ground running. Rather than reinvent the wheel, IBM took what was already available. A 12-man design team was authorized to use off-the-shelf components and an open architecture, which meant that other manufacturers could build compatible machines. A bevy of new PC makers soon entered the market. It was a radical departure from the past, when companies designed and manufactured all their products in-house. As the tech industry grew, companies like Sun Microsystems (SUNW) and Cisco Systems (CSCO) also teamed up with contract manufacturers in order to save time...

Villagers north of Kirkuk, Iraq, have been eager to help Iraqi Army soldiers fight the insurgents who have been attempting to kidnap their neighbors. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Cassandra Groce   More Photos Iraqi Soldiers Gather Intel on Insurgent Activity Iraqi soldiers gather information to prevent kidnappings and insurgent activity. Spc. Cassandra Groce 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detach KIRKUK, Iraq, April 12, 2006 — Fourth Iraqi Army Division soldiers and U.S. Army soldiers from Delta Company have found challenges with insurgents traveling through their operating area and avoiding Iraqi Army checkpoints. Miles of farmland divide Kirkuk from the northeastern...

When Apple Computer introduces its new line of Intel-based consumer notebooks this spring, the company may once again offer buyers a fashionable option it phased out of its iMac product line nearly half a decade ago: colored enclosures. Like the Cupertino company's current PowerPC-based line of iBook G4 notebooks, the upcoming Intel "MacBooks" have been described by the few people who claim to have seen them as "fashionably clad in iMac white." iMac white is the glossy shade Apple introduced on the face and under-compartment of its original iMac in 1998. Eventually, the popularity of the iMac amongst consumers drove...

An avid Mac user has managed to install and boot Windows Vista an on Intel Mac, according to report on the OSx86 Project website. The site says that despite Apple's beta release of its Boot Camp software and several previous successful attempts at getting the installer to work, actually making Vista run on an Intel Mac has still proven to be quite a challenge. The user has taken screenshots of his success, but says he had to delete the Mac OS X partition to get Vista running. The OSx86 Project, which says it is a good start and congratulated the...

More and more people are buying and loving Macs. To make this choice simply irresistible, Apple will include technology in the next major release of Mac OS X, Leopard, that lets you install and run the Windows XP operating system on your Mac. Called Boot Camp (for now), you can download a public beta today. As elegant as it gets Boot Camp lets you install Windows XP without moving your Mac data, though you will need to bring your own copy to the table, as Apple Computer does not sell or support Microsoft Windows.(1) Boot Camp will burn a CD...