Though the enthusiast community was atwitter with word that Intel’s 32nm process would reach retail availability by year’s end, they will be disappointed to learn that the enthusiast-level Gulftown chip and the 2P Gainestown successor have been pushed to 2010.
The word comes straight from Vice President of the Intel Digital Enterprise Group Stephen Smith. He has confirmed that the 32nm Gulftown, the enthusiast-oriented sexa-core variant of today’s Nehalem, won’t see the light of day until the first half of 2010. The server-oriented Clarksdale, a die-shrunk iteration of the recently announced Gainestown, is also taking the back seat and waiting for the first half of 2010.
Smith also confirmed that the Beckton, a 45nm octo-core Nehalem for 4 and 8-way servers has also been pushed back into next year.
While these moves are not expected to substantially harm the company’s current position in these markets, it does give AMD a sliver of wiggle room to capture the 4 and 8-way performance crowns for a spell.
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