SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 7, 2002 - Intel Corporation today introduced its highest-performing PentiumŪ 4 processor ever, running at 2.2 gigahertz (GHz), or 2.2 billion cycles per second. Built using Intel's most advanced manufacturing technologies, the processor sets the stage for a new class of high-performance PCs that power increasingly popular digital music, photography and video uses, as well the latest applications being developed for the workplace.

The 2.2 GHz milestone comes at a time when nearly 450 million people use PCs that run at 700 MHz or less. While those PCs were state of the art two to four years ago, they pre-date the MP3 revolution, streaming video on the Internet, recordable DVDs and the online gaming phenomenon. The most recent data from InfoTrends Research Group, Inc. shows that 33 percent of online households own a digital camera. By 2005, Forrester Research says that 92 percent of US online households will create and share personal multimedia content.

"People are making digital media a regular part of their lives, and the new technology behind the Pentium 4 processor at 2.2 GHz makes those experiences better yet," said Louis Burns, vice president and general manager, Intel Desktop Platforms Group. "This holiday season brought another surge in sales of digital cameras, and as consumers use such devices to record and share their lives with others, the highest-performing PCs enable the best experiences."

The new Pentium 4 processor is built on the semiconductor industry's most advanced manufacturing technology, Intel's 0.13-micron fabrication process, using highly-efficient copper interconnects. Using this technology, Intel was able to increase the chip's on-board memory (called level two cache) while reducing overall processor size by over 30 percent. With Intel's 0.13-micron process technology, it is possible to build circuits so small that 55 million transistors can be placed on each chip. It would take almost 1000 of these "wires" placed side-by-side to equal the width of a human hair.

Intel's 0.13-micron process technology features the world's fastest and smallest transistors (60 nanometer) used in volume production. These transistors are the foundation of the industry's highest performance microprocessors.

The Pentium 4 processor at 2.2 GHz is the world's highest-performance desktop processor as measured by the SPEC CPU* 2000 benchmark running Microsoft* Windows* XP. The Pentium 4 processor at 2.2 GHz delivers the world's highest Windows XP desktop processor score on SPECint*_base2000, with a score of 771. In addition, the Pentium 4 processor at 2.2 GHz delivers a SPECfp*_base2000 score of 766.

The Pentium 4 processor at 2.2 GHz, with 512KB level two cache, is available now and priced at $562 in 1,000-unit quantities. The Pentium 4 processor at 2.0 "A" GHz with 512KB level two cache ("A" signifies the 0.13-micron version) is priced at $364. Intel is also shipping boxed Intel Pentium 4 processors up to 2.2 GHz to distributors and system builders worldwide. The Intel 845 chipset sells for $39 in 1,000-unit quantities.

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