HP Unveils PA-8600 Chip Details

Chicago, March 9, 1999

Here at a meeting of InterWorks, a user group for HP enterprise computing, Hewlett-Packard Company today announced that its upcoming PA-8600 processor will feature new technologies that will enable advances in performance and high availability. The PA-8600 will be ideal for data-intensive applications such as Internet e-commerce, data warehousing, transaction processing and Computer Aided Design (CAD).

Originally planned for release in mid-2000, the PA-8600 now is expected to ship in systems (at frequencies from 500MHz to 550MHz) by the first quarter of 2000. Performance features will include new cache algorithms to enable faster access to data, and cache prefetch technology to load data from memory faster. High-availability features include error checking and correcting (ECC) on the 1.5MB of on-chip cache to improve real-time error correction. The PA-8600 will be enhanced further by the addition of lockstep capability, a technology that enhances high availability by enabling systems to compare processing steps and recover if errors are detected.

The PA-8600, based on the award-winning PA-8500 core, will be used in HP's enterprise-class workstations and servers.

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global provider of computing, Internet and intranet solutions, services, communications products and measurement solutions, all of which are recognized for excellence in quality and support. HP has 122,800 employees and had 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.

(c) Copyright 1999 Hewlett-Packard Company.