Intel To Revise SPECInt92 Benchmark Results Lower Due To Beta Compiler
Error

SANTA CLARA, CALIF. -- Jan. 5, 1996 -- Intel Corporation today said a bug
was discovered in the beta compiler used to generate SPEC benchmark
results, leading to an overstatement of SPECint92* results for certain
processors by about 10 percent. SPECint92 is an older integer version of
the industry's SPEC benchmark and is being phased out in favor of the more
modern SPECint95*. The company emphasized that the beta compiler error
does not affect performance results for SPECfp92, SPECint95 and SPECfp95,
as well as various other Intel-reported benchmarks and Intel's iCOMP"
index, which are all accurate. The issue is confined to beta compiler
software, and affects neither microprocessor function nor the performance
of any applications.

"While we know SPEC members have been moving rapidly toward the new SPEC95
benchmark suite as a preferred performance metric, we are embarrassed and
truly sorry for this oversight," said Fred Pollack, an Intel Fellow and
director of Intel's Measurement, Architecture and Planning Group. SPEC is
a cooperative computer industry group formed in 1989 to develop benchmarks
that measure true processor performance. Pollack also said Intel processor
performance as measured by SPECint95 still leads the industry.

He said the updated version of the Intel C Reference Compiler 2.2 will be
distributed to beta users and corrected SPECint92 results will be made
available within 10 days on Intel's web page and by faxback. The beta
compiler skewed SPECint92 performance results for Pentium" processors 100
MHz and higher that were reported from Sept. 1, 1995, onward, and Pentium
Pro processors which were introduced on Nov. 1, 1995.

Those results were derived last fall, when the beta compiler was used on
the SPEC92 023.eqntott benchmark leading to a 15 to 18 percent improvement
in SPECint92 for the Intel processors. At the time, Intel noted in its
Pentium Pro processor performance brief that some of the optimizations
used for 023.eqntott were included to enable an equitable comparison
between its processors and those of other vendors also using the same
optimization. Intel also acknowledged that the resulting increase in
023.eqntott was actually far more than expected, and concluded that it
apparently benefits Intel processors more than others. For that reason, in
the performance brief Intel strongly encouraged users to transition to
SPEC95, which is a major improvement over SPEC92. SPEC95 does not include
023.eqntott, and is thus unaffected by this optimization.

The final Intel Reference C Compiler 2.2 is expected to ship next month to
developers.

Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of
personal computer, networking and communications products.
 
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