A 'Merced' chip primer

Developed with Hewlett-Packard Co., Merced will combine Intel's (INTC) standard architecture with 64-bit computing (today's Intel processors are 32 bit) for faster processing of data. These chips process data in bigger chunks, making them faster.

Compaq Computer Corp., Dell Computer Corp., HP, Digital Equipment Corp. and other large computer makers have all announced their support for the architecture despite the fact that it will not be released until at least 1999.

As more people desire the ability to display and manipulate movies, 3-D games, and other huge digital media files, the need for 64-bit processors will quickly move into the consumer space. (Nintendo's Nintendo64 game machine sees the need for speed -- it uses a 64-bit processor to deliver its 3-D performance.)