Intel announced that it is canceling plans to roll out a four-gigahertz Pentium 4 processor. The remaining chips in Intel's current desktop lineup will operate at a maximum speed of 3.8GHz, further performance enhancements will be effected by increasing cache size.

 

An Intel spokesperson said that in order to produce the 4.0GHz chip in sufficient numbers, the company would have to utilize resources that it believes can be better spent on chips for its Smithfield dual-core project. Power consumption issues have also been attributed as a motivator for the move. 

 

The dual-core processors are set to be introduced by the end of 2005, and will be supported by the Glenwood and Lakeport chipsets. The processors will also adopt specifications for the next-generation ICH7 south bridge chipset. 

 

The dual-core processors will also support iAMT (Intel Active Management Technology), a corporate IT solution using OOB (Out-Of-Band) communication capabilities to allow technicians to remotely manage networked platforms regardless of the state of the operating system.