Intel already making 800MHz chips - report

Chip giant Intel is already manufacturing chips with a clock frequency in excess of 800MHz, according a report in technical engineering publication EETimes.

Tahir Ghan, a senior engineer with Intel's logic technology development group, said at an International Electron Devices Meeting in Washington: "Some devices have shipped, but we haven't announced that yet... The clock frequency is better than 800 MHz," according to the EETimes report.

This appears to give Intel the edge in the race with its long-time enemy AMD to top the 800MHz mark. It is an particular bonus for Intel given that AMD's latest Athlon 750MHz chip currently thrashes Intel's Pentium III offering in the speed stakes.

The increase in speed is based on a modification to the transistor gate width which improves the electrical properties and creates a higher drive current.

Intel was not immediately available for comment.

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