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PENTIUM.TXT
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1994-12-03
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This file contains three notes from the Internet concerning the Pentium floating point issue.
IBM's response to the Pentium chip problem.
Andy Grove's (Intel President) response that he posted to the internet.
Dell's response to the Pentium chip problem.
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Attached you will find a copy of the Press Release from the PC
Company regarding the Intel Pentium chip problems.
Customers can also call 1-800-426-3389 for more information.
Attached is a release that was distributed over Businesswire
at 4:10 p.m. yesterday
IBM Offers Added Customer Protection for Systems
with Pentium Microprocessors
SOMERS, N.Y., Nov. 30 . . . IBM today announced that it
will implement a series of programs designed to assist
customers who experience a problem with Intel Pentium*
microprocessors in IBM systems.
Intel last week acknowledged a defect in its Pentium
microprocessor that can cause inaccurate results in some
mathematical applications. Like Intel, IBM expects a very
small number of customers to be affected. IBM is taking
extra steps to ensure that all its customers are protected.
"IBM considers any problems with the systems to be our
responsibility," said Bruce Claflin, general manager,
product and brand management, IBM PC Company. "Our
customers bought IBM personal computers. If they have
problems, we're going to be there with solutions."
In addition to working closely with Intel to resolve
the issue, IBM will for its customers and business partners:
- Establish telephone numbers worldwide to help
customers determine if they have a problem, and work
with them to implement an appropriate resolution.
- Upon customer need, provide for replacement of
Pentium chips.
- Add an informational letter to all products shipped
with a Pentium processor.
Effective December 1 at 9:00 a.m., customers in the U.S. can
call 800-426-3389 for more information .
# # #
* Indicates trademark of the Intel Corporation
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Andy Grove's Internet Message to Scientific Floating Point Users
This is Andy Grove, president of Intel. I'd like to comment a bit
on the conversations that have been taking place on the Internet.
First of all, I am truly sorry for the anxiety created among you by
our floating point issue. I read thru some of the postings and it's
clear that many of you have done a lot of work around it and that some
of you are very angry at us. Let me give you my perspective on what has
happened here.
The Pentium processor was introduced into the market in May of '93
after the most extensive testing program we at Intel have ever embarked
on. Because this chip is three times as complex as the 486, and because
it includes a number of improved floating point algorithms, we geared up
to do an array of tests, validation, and verification that far exceeded
anything we had ever done. So did many of our OEM customers. We held the
introduction of the chip several months in order to give them more time
to check out the chip and their systems. We worked extensively with many
software companies to this end as well.
We were very pleased with the result. We ramped the processor
faster than any other in our history and encountered no significant
problems in the user community. Not that the chip was perfect; no chip
ever is. From time to time, we gathered up what problems we found and
put into production a new "stepping" -- a new set of masks that
incorporated whatever we corrected. Stepping N was better than stepping
N minus 1, which was better than stepping N minus 2. After almost 25
years in the microprocessor business, I have come to the conclusion that
no microprocessor is ever perfect; they just come closer to perfection
with each stepping. In the life of a typical microprocessor, we go thru
half a dozen or more such steppings.
Then, in the summer of '94, in the process of further testing
(which continued thru all this time and continues today), we came upon
the floating point error. We were puzzled as to why neither we nor
anyone else had encountered this earlier. We started a separate project,
including mathematicians and scientists who work for us in areas other
than the Pentium processor group to examine the nature of the problem
and its impact.
This group concluded after months of work that (1) an error is only
likely to occur at a frequency of the order of once in nine billion
random floating point divides, and that (2) this many divides in all the
programs they evaluated (which included many scientific programs) would
require elapsed times of use that would be longer than the mean time to
failure of the physical computer subsystems. In other words, the error
rate a user might see due to the floating point problem would be swamped
by other known computer failure mechanisms. This explained why nobody --
not us, not our OEM customers, not the software vendors we worked with
and not the many individual users -- had run into it.
As some of you may recall, we had encountered thornier problems
with early versions of the 386 and 486, so we breathed a sigh of relief
that with the Pentium processor we had found what turned out to be a
problem of far lesser magnitude. We then incorporated the fix into the
next stepping of both the 60 and 66 and the 75/90/100 MHz Pentium
processor along with whatever else we were correcting in that next
stepping.
Then, last month Professor Nicely posted his observations about
this problem and the hubbub started. Interestingly, I understand from
press reports that Prof. Nicely was attempting to show that
Pentium-based computers can do the jobs of big time supercomputers in
numbers analyses. Many of you who posted comments are evidently also
involved in pretty heavy duty mathematical work. That gets us to the
present time and what we do about all this.
We would like to find all users of the Pentium processor who are
engaged in work involving heavy duty scientific/floating point
calculations and resolve their problem in the most appropriate fashion
including, if necessary, by replacing their chips with new ones. We
don't know how to set precise rules on this so we decided to do it thru
individual discussions between each of you and a technically trained
Intel person. We set up 800# lines for that purpose. It is going to take
us time to work through the calls we are getting, but we will work thru
them. I would like to ask for your patience here.
Meanwhile, please don't be concerned that the passing of time will
deprive you of the opportunity to get your problem resolved -- we will
stand behind these chips for the life of your computer.
Sorry to be so long-winded -- and again please accept my apologies
for the situation. We appreciate your interest in the Pentium processor,
and we remain dedicated to bringing it as close to perfection as
possible.
I will monitor your communications in the future -- forgive me if I
can't answer each of you individually.
Last modified: 11/29/94 webmaster@www.intel.com
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From Dell:
Subject:
Dell Pentium Processor Plan
Intel Pentium Processor Accuracy
Over the last few days, a fair amount of press coverage has been given
to an issue relating to the accuracy of the Intel Pentium processor.
Given that the coverage of this issue can potentially raise as many
questions as it answers, we at Dell would like to provide you with our
perspective on this issue along with suggested action steps for Dell
customers.
ISSUE OVERVIEW
* The inaccuracy that can occur is extremely rare and is based on
combination usage of a small set of prime numbers, usually in division
operations. Intel estimates that, in normal use, the chance of hitting
a combination of the primes in a division operation is 1 in 9 Billion
or once in every 27,000 years. This low degree of likelihood is
swamped by the typical mean time to fail (or obsolescence) for any
computer systems or peripherals.
* In the rare event that an inaccuracy is generated, it is typically
expressed in the seventh digit, so a user calculating millions would
be inaccurate in the teens and a user calculating in the teens would
be inaccurate in the ten thousandths. For most calculations,
inaccuries of this magnitude would not be viewed as significant.
* The problem is not random. It is 100% replicatable and occurs in
all Pentium processors of all speeds in all Pentium-processor based
systems, regardless of brand.
SUGGESTED CUSTOMER ACTIONS
* Users doing high precision statistical or mathematical analysis or
that are working in extremely sensitive environments, such as
engineering design of passenger vehicles, mission-critical financial
modeling or pharmaceutical development should carefully evaluate their
need for accuracy beyond the sixth digit.
If accuracy beyond that level is required, the user should employ
common protective techniques (such as redundant testing on a system
employing another architecture, such as RISC) and / or contact Dell so
that we can work to determine the appropriate course of remedy.
* Users conducting normal business applications are advised to
evaluate their requirement for accuracy beyond the sixth digit.
Greater than 99% of computer usage is not sensitive to accuracy beyond
this level, so generally there is no need for concern.
* Customers contemplating future purchase systems should continue to
consider Pentium. The relative benefit of Pentium-processor based
systems, given the nature and rarity of the accuracy issue under
discussion, remains a compelling proposition. Users wishing to
prepare for emerging standards like Windows `95 and the PCI local bus
are best served by choosing systems that will perform well in today's
environment and tomorrow's. Pentium-processor based systems
definitely deliver best against this requirement and, by choosing
Dell, the performance of Pentium comes with both the quality that
businesses demand and the affordability that Dell is known for.
* Those wanting more information should contact Dell for further
assistance.