CNET reported earlier this year that the new chip could usher in a new class of PCs that will offer dramatic improvements in PC video, sound, and graphics capabilities.
Cyrix has essentially cloned Intel's MMX instruction set. The MMX technology, scheduled to appear in a series of Intel chips by early next year, substantially improves processing performance of audio and video data.
Intel released the MMX instructions to the public last year and is scheduled to release the first MMX-enabled microprocessors by the first quarter of next year.
Intel has formulated a strategy to ensure that its core business, microprocessors, will not be harmed as the "thin client" concept championed by a number of hardware makers turns into actual products. Intel officials are convinced that a "fat client" capable of handling multimedia applications is the next step in the evolution of the PC.
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