New P4s to better support virtual PCs

Intel has released its first Pentium 4 desktop chips featuring hardware support for virtualisation

P4 gains VT facilities

Intel has started shipping its first Pentium 4 processors with its Virtualisation Technology (VT), previously known by the codename of Vanderpool. But while some vendors are building systems using the new chips, desktop virtualisation is not likely to be widely deployed for a year or more.

The first two Intel desktop chips with VT are the Pentium 4 processors 672 and 662, running at 3.8GHz and 3.6GHz respectively. Lenovo and Acer have announced systems using the new desktop chips, and broad support from other manufacturers is expected in early 2006. Intel earlier this month launched its first Xeon server chips with VT.

VT is designed to make virtualisation more efficient through hardware features such as a dedicated address space for each virtual machine. Virtualisation providers including VMware, Microsoft and the Xen Project said they will support Intel’s VT as well as the similar Pacifica technology from AMD.

Virtualisation enables a single PC to function as two or more self-contained PCs, each running a separate operating system. Virtual PCs can be tailored for specific purposes such as web browsing or running applications that require a legacy operating system, according to Intel.

“With innovations such as Intel Virtualisation Technology, Intel is at the forefront of tackling some of the biggest IT challenges facing businesses today,” said Intel’s Robert Crooke.

Next year Intel plans to update its Professional Business PC platform to include dual-core Pentium 4 chips with VT and the firm’s Active Management Technology (AMT). This combination would allow PCs to run a partition, hidden from the user, dedicated to running management tools, Intel said.