Sequent To Provide Software Fix for Intel Pentium Processor Flaw; Software for Sequent Symmetry Customers Will Catch and Correct Rare Errors in Floating-Point Calculations

Business Wire, Dec 2, 1994

BEAVERTON, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 1994--Sequent Computer Systems, Inc., today announced that within two weeks it will offer Symmetry system customers a software modification to detect and correct the subtle errors that can occur with the Intel Pentium processor.

Recent media reports have described a subtle flaw in the floating-point divide unit of Intel's Pentium processor. Certain rare divisions (according to Intel, approximately one in nine billion divide pairs) can result in reduced accuracy in the fourth or higher decimal place. Although the likelihood of encountering this accuracy error is very rare -- and is made even less likely because most of Sequent's customers are commercial users who use few floating point calculations -- Sequent chose to take this action to guarantee customer data integrity.

Intel has corrected the flaw and has begun manufacturing corrected processors. According to Intel, the source of the computational error was the omission of five approximation values from a table used in high-precision mathematical computation.

"Although the chance of encountering an error in one of our symmetric multiprocessing systems is very low, it is our highest priority to ensure customer data integrity," said Lary Evans, vice president and general manager of Sequent's Platform Division. "We are working on the solution with Intel, which is taking appropriate steps to resolve the problem and support its customers, and we'll provide the software modification free of charge to all our Pentium-processor-based users."

The modification involves a software update that is added to Sequent's operating system (DYNIX/ptx) and that watches for floating-point divides, double checks them and, if necessary, recalculates. This will reduce the speed of floating-point calculations but will probably be unnoticeable to most commercial application users.

In accordance with its routine quality processes, Sequent temporarily suspended shipments of its Pentium-processor-based systems when it became aware of the flaw this week. Shipments will resume with the availability of the software modification, which will accompany all systems until corrected processors are available in volume.

Sequent Computer Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:SQNT), based in Beaverton, Ore., is a leading architect and provider of open client/server systems for commercial computer applications in on-line transaction processing, decision support and messaging. Sequent provides professional consulting and educational services to ensure successful system solutions. The company develops and markets scalable computing systems that support enterprisewide applications and information services. Since the launch of its symmetric multiprocessor family of systems in 1984, Sequent has installed more than 6,000 large-scale systems worldwide.

-0-

NOTE TO EDITORS: Sequent, Symmetry, and DYNIX/ptx are registered trademarks of Sequent Computer Systems, Inc. Intel is a registered trademark and Pentium is a trademark of Intel Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited.

CONTACT: Sequent Computer Systems, Inc.

              Mike Green or Helen Connor, 503/626-5700
                        or
              Waggener Edstrom
              Wendy Hughson or Doug Duffield, 503/245-0905