Intel Corp.’s subsidiary in India called Intel Technology India announced recently that the group would develop a next-generation Intel Xeon processors that features multi-core design. According to the claim, almost all the staff that used to develop the abandoned code-named Whitefield processor now is set to deal with a new one.

Intel Technology India director RK Amar Babu reportedly told The Times of India that the chipmaker made decision last week. “More or less all the people in the Whitefield project will be reassigned to this,” he is reported to have said.

No details are known concerning the new microprocessor, the chip has not yet even got its code-name. It is unknown whether it will have anything in common with the dumped Whitefield design, but according to the publication, the development lifecycle of a “platform of this nature” is three to five years.

Intel code-named Whitefield and Dunnington chips along with Redland platform were supposed to arrive in 2007, according to a roadmap Intel demonstrated publicly back at Intel Developer Forum Fall 2005. The company recently announced replacement of the Whitefield chip along with the Redland platform with Tigerton processor and the Caneland platform, it emerges.

Intel Whitefield, Dunnington and Tigerton chips designed for multi-processor servers are projected to share a new micro-architecture from Intel Corp., which was confirmed earlier in 2005.   

The report by the news-paper claims that Intel had invested heavily in its Bangalore research lab for the project, both in infrastructure and staff. Reportedly about 600 people were said to have been employed in the core hardware part of the project, and many more in associate areas.