What Is the Meaning of Pentium?

That chip could be a 586 or Pentium.

In 1981, IBM selected Intel's 8088 microprocessor as the chip that would serve as the central processing unit (CPU) of the IBM/XT. The XT in its base configuration boasted 512K of RAM, a single floppy drive and a monochrome monitor. It was the first IBM computer built primarily for personal use. Intel's decision to name their fifth-generation chip Pentium was a direct result of the popularity of the 8088 and subsequent iterations of the Intel architecture.

History

IBM's decision to license the technology of their personal computer (PC) platform to outside manufacturers created a profitable market for PC "clones." Unlike their major PC competitor Apple, IBM allowed and even encouraged outside companies to develop hardware for use with their computing platform. Soon manufacturers were producing expansion boards, peripherals and video cards. Apple, whose CPU was manufactured by Motorola, refused to license their technology to outside sources.

Competition

In 1991, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) introduced a PC-compatible CPU based on Intel's 80x86 architecture. The chip was labeled Am386. It was designed to compete with Intel's 80386 CPU. Improvements in chip design by both companies led to the release of the 80486 CPU by Intel and the release of the Am486 by AMD.

Litigation

Intel filed suit against AMD for trademark infringement for AMD's use of the "386" designation for its CPU. In 1991, Federal District Judge William A. Ingram issued a decision that AMD did not commit trademark infringement because "386" was a generic term applied to CPUs and Intel could not trademark a number designation for a chip.

Name Change

Intel hired the Lexicon Branding firm in 1992 to create a brand name for forthcoming CPU. In the former numbering scheme, this would have been the 80586 chip. Intel introduced the Pentium CPU in 1993. Penta is Greek for five. Intel dropped the numbering scheme for CPU designations entirely. Subsequent CPU generations have included Centrino, Itanium and Xeon.

References

• AMD: AMD History
• Intel: Intel Processor History
• New York Times; "Intel Loses Trademark Decision"; Andrew Pollack; 1991
• Ars Technica; "The Pentium: An Architectural History of the World's Most Famous Desktop Processor"; Jon Stokes; 2004
• Laynetworks; "The Architecture of Pentium Microprocessor"; Rajesh Kothandapani
• Tom's Hardware: A Brief History of the Pentium Brand