“Although Intel steadfastly maintains that its Merced chip
will be more than just a test bed, Hewlett-Packard, co-designer of
the chip, recommends that customers bypass it and wait for the next
one.
The release date and performance of Merced has prompted many
observers to say that the chip, the first “IA-64″ processor, would
be merely a test drive for the advanced architecture. HP’s
decision… is the first time that an insider and main proponent of
the chip has recommending skipping it.”
“Now, HP’s own PA-RISC 8500 chip and upcoming 8600 are fast
enough that HP recommends that customers simply skip Merced and
move on to the second-generation 64-bit chip, dubbed McKinley, said
HP’s Eric Clow at the HP World conference.”