The “multi-core” processor technology, codenamed “Larrabee” will be showcased at an upcoming industry conference in Los Angeles.

By dividing tasks between cores, these multi-core chips will be able to cut energy use and heat while speeding performance, using a type of  parallel processing.

Intel and AMD currently sell chips with two or four “cores,” but the new Intel chips (pencilled for release in 2009 or 2010) will have 16 to 48 cores and will be tailored for handling computer game graphics. The chips will also accomomodate the increasingly complex, ‘multi-tasking’ type approach that see users running many desktop apps at once.

Intel say that the major task for software developers now will be to make full use of the available processing power and multi-threading capabilities. Predicted research breakthroughs include voice recognition software so accurate it could be used to record witness testimony in courtroom proceedings.

Intel expects Larrabee “to kick start an industry-wide effort to create and optimise software for the dozens, hundreds and thousands of cores expected to power future computers.”

Larrabee’s initial foray into the multi-billion dollar computer graphics market will put it in an arena dominated by Nvidia and AMD, which both reportedly plan to market chips with hundreds of cores.

See more at:
http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20080804fact.htm?iid=pr1_releasepri_20080804fact

The two-week ‘Camp Fatal1ty’ course is open to students aged 13-17 and costs US$3,499, with US$300 extra for optional weekend stays.

It will be held at Stanford University, UCLA and Villanova University and has been set up in collaboration with professional gamer Johnathan ‘Fatal1ty’ Wendel and the iD Gaming Academy.

As well as testing out new skills in tournament play against fellow classmates, the teens will learn to create machinima and build highlight video reels of their best in-game moves and shots.

The syllabus will also feature late-night Nvidia-hosted gaming tournaments and Lan parties.

Students will also tour a major game development studio to learn first-hand how industry professionals create commercial titles.

At the end of the course, each student will take home a Fatal1ty-branded keyboard.

Wendel, who is dubbed “the world’s most famous gamer”, has won 12 major championships and 10 world titles.

The iD Gaming Academy and Fatal1ty are offering five scholarships to at the UCLA and Villanova locations.

Pirate copies of the game have spread on file-sharing network BitTorrent after the first file was uploaded last week, according to gaming blog Kotaku.

The original 6.32GB file is accompanied by a document claiming that the contents are the PAL version of the game for Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

Only modified consoles in Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe would be able to run the file.

The document, signed by a group called “iCON”, suggests Xbox users playing the pirated game set their online profiles to private to avoid detection.

Some users apparently haven’t followed this advice, with GTA IV game scores now appearing on public Xbox profile listings.

And there are also amateur videos of GTA IV gameplay that have emerged on YouTube.

These clips have been swiftly taken down due copyright claims by GTA’s distributor, Take Two Interactive.

In the message accompanying the BitTorrent file, iCON recommended that users support Rockstar, the game’s publisher, by purchasing a legal copy of the game.

“Guys, seriously, go and buy this one,” the message read.

“R* (Rockstar) deserves it.”

To participate, aspiring game developers create modifications (“mods”) for the PC version of Unreal Tournament 3 in a wide range of categories including environments, characters, weapons, gameplay, tools, vehicles and more.

Through the contest, players can unleash their creative skills, make new content and game experiences using cutting-edge game technology, and reap rewards on many different levels. The content created for this contest will be freely available to players of the PC version of Unreal Tournament 3 worldwide. “To all you aspiring game developers out there – this is your chance to get in the big leagues. We have categories for all kinds of creatively talented people including programmers, artists, 3D modelers, designers and even aspiring film directors,” said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. “You get to use the same world-class Unreal Engine 3 toolset we used to create Unreal Tournament 3 and Gears of War. Unreal Engine 3 is used by many of the industry’s leading game companies, so this is truly a chance to prove your worth and get your foot in the door of the game business while having your work potentially exposed to millions. To get mod-makers started, the collector’s edition of Unreal Tournament 3 includes over 20 hours of 3D Buzz’s professional-level video training materials for the Unreal Engine 3 toolset.”

“The ‘$1 Million Intel Make Something Unreal Contest’ demonstrates Intel’s ongoing commitment to helping game developers harness the capabilities of the PC gaming platform,” said Elliot Garbus, vice president, Software and Solutions Group, general manager, Visual Computing Software Division, Intel Corporation. “We are passionate about unleashing developers’ innovation through our popular software developer tools, our Intel® Coreâ„¢ 2 processor family, and high-performance platforms, like the eight core Intel® Dual Socket Extreme Desktop Platform, formerly codenamed ‘Skulltrail’. Combining Intel products with the Unreal Engine modding tools provides a wonderful opportunity for aspiring developers, machinima artists, and modders to jump in and truly change the game.”

The last “$1 Million Make Something Unreal Contest” catapulted World War II shooter Red Orchestra to fame. Its development team, Tripwire Interactive, was awarded the grand prize, an Unreal Engine 3 license, for overall Best Mod and throughout the contest earned nearly $80,000 in cash and computer hardware prizes. Red Orchestra was later shipped to retail outlets worldwide.

“A few years ago, we were just a group of fans with an idea to make a mod that we would all like to play,” said Tripwire Interactive President John Gibson. “The Unreal Engine and its mod tools were perfect for the game we wanted to make, and with the hard work and determination of our team we used those tools to create Red Orchestra and win the mod competition. Winning the ‘Make Something Unreal Contest’ helped the Tripwire Interactive team realize our dream of founding our own development studio and bringing our game to retail. It is a real life ‘Rags to Retail’ story.”

Universities and students can participate as well. “We were pleased to be a winner in the educational category of the first contest sponsored by Epic and look forward to being part of this year’s competition,” said Dr. Peter Raad, founder and executive director of The Guildhall at SMU. “Unreal Engine technology has been a cornerstone of our program and has been a big part of us sending more than 180 artists, level designers and programmers since 2004 to work at more than 70 video game studios around the world.”

For more information about the “$1 Million Intel Make Something Unreal Contest,” visit www.makesomethingunreal.com.

More information can be found here.