Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, December 13, 1994 TAG: 9412130051
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
IBM stopped shipping personal computers using Intel's rival Pentium chip Monday, saying Pentium's problems may be greater than estimated.
The move by International Business Machines Corp., the world's largest computer maker, was the latest setback for Intel Corp. over the Pentium, its top-of-the-line microprocessor.
IBM developed its own PowerPC chip with Apple Computer Inc. and Motorola Inc. as a rival to Intel microprocessors, which carry out most of a computer's functions.
Intel called IBM's decision ``unwarranted'' and reiterated its position that people who use Pentium-based computers at home and in the office were extremely unlikely to encounter any problems.
It wasn't clear if other computer makers would follow IBM's lead.
The glitch was discovered by Lynchburg College math professor Thomas Nicely as he was doing equations on his math department's three-Pentium system. Intel, which had found the error on its own but had not made it public, has apologized. An Intel spokesman conceded that Nicely "obviously knows his mathematics."
Recent revelations that the Pentium makes mistakes in some mathematical calculations have become a public relations disaster for Intel, the leading maker of computer chips. It has said the flaw represents a serious problem only for people who use computers in specialized math and scientific calculations.
Intel discovered the error last summer and changed Pentium's design. Intel also said it would replace the chip for customers who can demonstrate that they use their Pentium-based PCs on the complex calculations.
IBM said it would resume shipments of Pentium computers upon customer request.
Intel says the likelihood of a Pentium user encountering an error is only once in 27,000 years and that off-the-shelf software is not affected.
``Based upon the work of our scientists analyzing real-world applications, and the experience of millions of users of Pentium processor-based systems, we have no evidence of increased probability of encountering the flaw,'' Andrew S. Grove, Intel's president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
``You can always contrive situations that force this error. In other words, if you know where a meteor will land, you can go there and get hit.''
IBM, however, said its own tests indicated that while Intel's descriptions of the flaw are technically accurate, there are many customer situations in which the risk of error may be significantly higher.
``We believe no one should have to wonder about the integrity of data calculated on IBM PCs,'' G. Richard Thoman, an IBM senior vice president, said in a statement.
Analysts said the Pentium problem is a relatively minor matter for IBM, which expects Pentium machines to account for only one-fifth of its revenues from PC sales. Overall, PC sales make up only 15 percent of IBM's total revenues.
by CNB