Intel to delay Itanium release

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Intel Corp. will delay the high-volume release of an update to its Itanium chip, according to a story from the Associated Press.
Intell announced on Monday the delay of the next-generation Itanium chip code-named Montecito. The chip was scheduled to ship early in 2006 will now ship mid-year.
Intel did not issue a press release regarding the delay. It is unclear if the delay will directly affect the Fort Collins Intel employees.
Intel has an Itanium design team based in Fort Collins. The company, which took over the Hewlett Packard Co.-Intel Itanium collaboration, recently announced it would move its 300 employees to the soon-to-be-vacated Celestica building in Fort Collins.
The delay is generally related to increased quality issues, according to Intel spokesman Scott McLaughlin.
“There’s a really high quality demand in this market segment,” McLaughlin explained, adding that the company is taking additional time to deliver the quality it deems necessary.
“As a matter of policy, we don’t go into details of personnel as far as who is working on specific projects,” McLaughlin said. He said that there would be no reduction in workforce due to the delay and that any affected employees would simply be reassigned to another project.