Ibm Halts Shipments Of Pentium-Based Personal Computers Based On Company Research

Business Wire,  Dec 12, 1994  

Tags: computer, IBM Corp., Intel Pentium, PC

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SOMERS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 1994--IBM today announced it has stopped shipment of all IBM personal computers based on the Intel Pentium(a) microprocessor. The action is based on tests conducted by the IBM Research Division stimulated by growing customer concern that Pentium-related problems are more frequent than previously estimated.

Results of IBM Research Division tests indicate that while Intel's descriptions of the flaw are technically accurate, there are many customer situations in which the risk of error may be significantly higher.

IBM is working with customers on interim solutions and will resume shipments upon customer and business partner request. Also, IBM is:

-- Sharing its analyses with customers and the industry on the Internet.

-- Working with IBM customers to help guide them in their own specific risk assessments.

-- Providing for replacement of flawed Pentium chips at no cost to customers. This applies to all its Pentium-based PCs, either those already installed or systems that will be shipped prior to new chips being available.

-- Working with Intel to help resolve Pentium-related problems as quickly as possible.

"We believe no one should have to wonder about the integrity of data calculated on IBM PCs," said G. Richard Thoman, IBM senior vice president and group executive. "Many of our customers have indicated concern since the Pentium flaw was disclosed. We've conducted our own tests and concluded that the risk of error is significantly higher than previously thought and warrants today's actions."

Intel has said that in purely random situations the likelihood of a customer encountering an error is only once in 27,000 years and that off-the-shelf software is not affected. However, IBM tests indicate that common spreadsheet programs, recalculating for 15 minutes a day, could produce Pentium-related errors as often as once every 24 days. For a customer with 500 Pentium-based PCs, this could result in as many as 20 mistakes a day.

Pentium-based systems currently shipped by IBM are the ValuePoint P60, the IBM PC 300 P60 and 700 P90, the Aptiva 710 and 730 models and IBM PC server models 85, 95, 300 and 500.

(a) Pentium is a trademark of Intel Corporation.

CONTACT: IBM

             Rob Wilson
             (914) 765-6565

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