Intel has completed initial production runs of dual-core processors, and revealed plans to deliver dual-core products and dual-core enabled chipsets for its Pentium families in the second quarter of 2005.

The chip giant said that its Pentium Extreme Edition will include Hyper-Threading (HT) technology, providing the ability to process four software threads simultaneously.

"In addition to our products, we are investing heavily to further prepare the industry for the shift to multi-core computing platforms," said Robert Crooke, vice president of Intel's desktop platforms group.

Dual- and multi-core products include two or more full CPU cores within a single processor enabling the simultaneous management of activities.

When combined with HT technology, which allows a processor to present itself as two logical processors, the Pentium Extreme Edition can process four software threads simultaneously by using resources that otherwise may sit idle.

Intel said the Pentium Extreme Edition will be combined with a new chipset named the Intel 955X Express, formerly codenamed Glenwood.

It will also couple its mainstream Smithfield processor with two new chipsets named the Intel 945G Express and 945P Express, both previously codenamed Lakeport, in the second quarter of the year.

Intel claimed that it has more than 10 multi-core related projects underway.