Pentium Flaw
NT1110: Computer Structure and Logic
ITT Technical Institute
10/20/2013
The Pentium Flaw a divisional error was discovered in the summer of 1994. The flaw was discovered by Intel. Intel decided that their chips did not need to be recalled since the chance of the average user discovering the error was less than 1 in 9 billion. Thomas Nicely a mathematics professor at Lynchburg College in Lynchburg VA made error public when he sent an e-mail to several colleagues. Nicely was using several computers to compute mathematical problems to prove they had enough power to do so.
I believe Intel did not handle the problem correctly at all. Intel knowing that there was a flaw in the chip still sent out a defective product. Regardless of who might come across the flaw or error Intel should have recalled the chip immediately to have them replaced. Intel deciding to send out the flawed processor has probably helped the company as well. Before the flaw not many people even knew who or what Intel was.
Intel after months of research and help from outside professionals decided to recall the chip and have them replaced. Nicely said he had run more than one quadrillion calculations on a revised chip and could not reproduce the error.
If a similar flaw like this were to happen today I’m not exactly sure what would happen. One thing I’m sure of is word of any flaw or error would spread like wild fire. The old rule of thumb is 1 tells 10, well now it’s more like 1 tells 10,000. I believe that if a similar situation were to occur it would be handled quickly and promptly. I’m sure Intel has new policies in place to handle situations like this and other companies would learned from Intel’s mistake.
Reference
Markoff, J. (1994, November 24). New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2013, from www.nytimes.com: http://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/24/business/company-news-flaw-undermines-accuracy-of-pentium-chips.html?src=pm
ITT Technical Institute
10/20/2013
The Pentium Flaw a divisional error was discovered in the summer of 1994. The flaw was discovered by Intel. Intel decided that their chips did not need to be recalled since the chance of the average user discovering the error was less than 1 in 9 billion. Thomas Nicely a mathematics professor at Lynchburg College in Lynchburg VA made error public when he sent an e-mail to several colleagues. Nicely was using several computers to compute mathematical problems to prove they had enough power to do so.
I believe Intel did not handle the problem correctly at all. Intel knowing that there was a flaw in the chip still sent out a defective product. Regardless of who might come across the flaw or error Intel should have recalled the chip immediately to have them replaced. Intel deciding to send out the flawed processor has probably helped the company as well. Before the flaw not many people even knew who or what Intel was.
Intel after months of research and help from outside professionals decided to recall the chip and have them replaced. Nicely said he had run more than one quadrillion calculations on a revised chip and could not reproduce the error.
If a similar flaw like this were to happen today I’m not exactly sure what would happen. One thing I’m sure of is word of any flaw or error would spread like wild fire. The old rule of thumb is 1 tells 10, well now it’s more like 1 tells 10,000. I believe that if a similar situation were to occur it would be handled quickly and promptly. I’m sure Intel has new policies in place to handle situations like this and other companies would learned from Intel’s mistake.
Reference
Markoff, J. (1994, November 24). New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2013, from www.nytimes.com: http://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/24/business/company-news-flaw-undermines-accuracy-of-pentium-chips.html?src=pm