Intel updates programming tools for new chip designs

Intel announced updated programming tools Tuesday that it said makes it easier to write programs that divide tasks into simultaneous instruction sequences called threads. The tools are adapted to newer chips with multithreading and multiple processing engines called cores, Intel said.

In the process of translating high-level languages such as C++ into instructions a computer can comprehend, Intel's compiler software looks for areas of code that can be split into separate threads, Intel said. Version 9 of the Intel Compilers cost $399 for the C++ version and $499 for the Fortran version. Windows and Linux versions are available for both; the Linux version now incorporates a security feature designed to help protect software against some network attacks.