Q: What does Intel use in it's fab plants A: Alpha's!

Thanks go to BaphomeT_ie for finding this gem at The Inquirer.

WE WONDERED WHY DOUG BUSCH, the IT manager at Intel, went all coy on us yesterday when we asked about the systems running in its factories (fabrication plants) and a little bit of investigation has revealed the answer.

Its fabs are heavily dependent on Alpha microprocessors and run OpenVMS to ensure that blue screens of death or glitches in its own chips don't bring the production lines down.

For some time, La used VAX/VMS software such as Consilium to run the different lines and we are reliably informed it was still buying Vax 7000 and Vax 10000 machines up until 1996.

No one wanted to bow down at the shrine of the alien Alpha chip but, let's face it, Merced was late and so it contracted a big deal with the Big Q a few years back to convert to Alpha and VMS.

And that's why Intella thinks the Alpha is fabtastic.

News source: The Inquirer