After more than two decades of boosting chip performance by using two hardware tricks that work hand-in-glove, Intel Corp. has realized that one trick makes computers too hot, so it has been forced to redesign its microprocessors in a way that requires the invention of a whole new approach to PC software.

On Tuesday, Intel, joined by Microsoft Corp., said it will invest $20 million over the next five years to fund software research at UC Berkeley and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to program a way around this unexpected dead-end in chip design.

In a nutshell, it was only a few years ago that Intel realized its approach to chip design - making a single microprocessor smaller and faster - would turn out processors too hot to handle, said UC Professor Kurt Keutzer, who is part of the local team.

Intel is already at work on a new approach to chip design that would put a slew of mini-processors, or cores, on a single sliver of silicon, the idea being that each could run slower and cooler but together they would still get the job done.

But before these new multicore chips can do anything useful for consumers or businesses, Intel and Microsoft must develop a new approach to software, called parallel processing. That is the part of the puzzle Intel and Microsoft hope the computer whizzes at Berkeley and Illinois can solve.

"Right now, it's a chicken-and-egg problem," said UC Berkeley Professor David Patterson, another scientist on the project. "This is a new way of processing that we don't know how to do yet."

Potential applications for multicore computers include faster and more realistic video processing, better speech recognition and quicker searching of databases.

There's another dimension to this dilemma that has the potential to disrupt the chip-making industry. Other firms, like Nvidia and IBM, also are building multicore processors, and if they solve the software-and-hardware problem first, that could tilt the balance of power in personal computing away from the industry's reigning co-rulers, Intel and Microsoft.

"This is a really new time in the history of computing, truly a paradigm shift," said David Bader, a professor of computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology who is an expert in parallel processing but is not directly associated with the Intel-Microsoft project.

"When there is a paradigm shift, there is a risk to established companies," agreed Marc Snir, the University of Illinois computer scientist who will lead efforts there to make sure that the "Wintel" duo doesn't miss the paradigm shift.

But Intel - whose motto used to be "Only the paranoid survive" - is already feeling the heat from its Santa Clara neighbor, Nvidia, which is testing multicore chips with a new way to program them called Cuda.

"When we hear Intel say 'multicore' we say 'Welcome to the party,' " said Nvidia processor expert Ujesh Desai.

During a teleconference Tuesday, the parties involved in the research project explained how the intellectual fruits of this university-industry partnership would be shared. Computer scientists at both universities will be free to publish any and all findings, while Microsoft and Intel will be get nonexclusive licenses to any ideas they want, and be able to negotiate for more-exclusive terms on technologies they deem particularly useful.

Patterson, the UC scientist, said the research deal represents a great win for Berkeley, which was chosen over 25 institutions, including Stanford, to lead the project.

Patterson likened Berkeley's involvement in the parallel-processing software to its leadership in past technology leaps, like its pivotal role in the development of the Unix operating system and other technologies that "led to multibillion-dollar industries."

E-mail Tom Abate at tabate@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Martine murder suspect 'fled to Yemen on billionaire father's private jet'

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Strangled: Student Martine Vik Magnussen enjoying herself on holiday

Farouk Abdulhak, 21, has been named by Scotland Yard as wanted for questioning in connection with the 23-year-old socialite's death.

Farouk, the son of Arab billionaire Shaher Abdulhak, disappeared after landing in Yemen aboard his father's private jet at 5.30am on Sunday. He fled London on Saturday, travelling via Athens.

He was seen leaving the exclusive Maddox club in Mayfair with 23-year-old Miss Magnussen at 3am on Friday and getting into a taxi with her.

Her partially-clothed body was later found under a pile of rubble in the basement of Abdulhak's apartment block in Great Portland Street at 10am on Sunday.

The development came as police released pictures of Miss Magnussen's clothing and other personal items which were missing from her body.

Some possessions belonging to the Norwegian business student were found in Farouk's rented flat in Great Portland Street.

But certain items, including her snakeskin shoes and Marc Jacobs handbag, are missing. Detectives believe the killer might have removed the items after the murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Jessica Wadsworth said: "We are urgently seeking information about clothing and personal effects belonging to Martine. These are the shoes, a pair of jeans, a Guess watch, earrings and a ring she was wearing on the night as well as her Marc Jacobs handbag. All of these items were not recovered from the premises in Great Portland Street."

Yemeni officials said they will hand over Farouk, despite the absence of an extradition treaty with Britain.

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Replicas of the shoes, bag and watch taken from Martine's body

Dr Abu Bakr al-Qurbi, Yemen's foreign minister, said: "It is with regret that we have read about the incident in the newspapers.

"We are prepared to cooperate with British authorities, but for the time being we are awaiting more information about the subject matter.?

Met detectives want to question Abdulhak, whose whereabouts are unknown, as a ?matter of urgency? after he left a nightclub with Miss Magnussen on Friday.

His father, Shaher Abdulhak, said the family would disown his son if he was found responsible for the murder.

Abdulhak's uncle said the family was "very concerned about the state of their son and are awaiting further information to make it clear that they would not associate themselves with any member of their family connected with any wrongdoing."

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Ms Magnussen's family described her as a 'ray of sunshine'

Martine and her friend Nina Brantzeg, who launched an appeal for her on Facebook

He added: "Any loss of life is tragic and the family send their feelings and deep condolences to the Magnussen family and friends whatever the cause of these unfortunate events.?

Abdulhak, who is hiring top extradition lawyers to challenge attempts to bring him back to the UK, was allegedly the last person to see Miss Magnussen alive.

Miss Magnussen, described as "pure sunshine" by her heartbroken family yesterday, was found dumped among rubble and rubbish in the basement of Abdulhak's London home on Sunday.

She was reportedly last seen getting into a taxi with Abdulhak on Friday at 3am after they left Maddox, an exclusive Mayfair private members' club popular with stars such as Madonna and Keira Knightley.

Yesterday police issued an urgent appeal for information about the whereabouts of Abdulhak.

Detective Chief Inspector Jessica Wadsworth said: "The death of Martine remains unexplained and is the subject of further scientific testing. We wish to interview Mr Abdulhak as a matter of urgency to further investigate what happened to Martine in her final hours and how her death came about.

"We believe he holds important information, which could assist us."

Police said Abdulhak had grown up in London and studied business with Miss Magnussen at London's Regent's College, a £10,000-a-year private university.

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'The Facebook Murder': Martine, pictured with a friend, had been studying business at Regent's College in London

Abdulhak founded Shaher Trading in Yemen in 1963 and the empire now encompasses petroleum, soft drinks, hotels and real estate across the Middle East and Africa.

Yesterday he told the Daily Mail he would not comment on his son's whereabouts - but said he had hired the London- based international extradition experts Peters & Peters for the case.

Mr Abdulhak said he had consulted with Michael O'Kane, a lawyer who has worked on high-profile cases including the hijacking of a plane at Stansted in 2000 and is currently representing two British oil company executives fighting extradition to the U.S.

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Murdered: Martine Magnussen was found dead after partying at a celebrity nightspot

Initial post-mortem examination results appear to show that Miss Magnussen had been strangled, with a pathologist's report revealing "significant injuries to her neck".

Her father Odd Petter Magnussen and mother Vik Ronnaug are divorced but came to London to identify their daughter. In a statement, her father said: "Martine's exceptionally warm and charismatic personality struck anybody she met.

"She always left an impression of a tolerant, sympathetic and loveable person, considered as pure sunshine in any social context."

Luxury block: Martine's body was found at Seaford Court in London' Great Portland Street

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