Latest Chip For Servers by AMD
June 3, 2009 – 4:03 amAdvanced Micro Devices Inc. unveiled the latest upgrade to its chips for server systems, hoping to exploit gaps in the product line of rival Intel Corp.
The latest model of AMD’s Opteron line, code-named Istanbul, has the core circuitry of six calculating engines on one piece of silicon. AMD said the chip delivers as much as 34% greater computing performance than its current models, which have four processor cores.
AMD, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., sought to position the Opteron as a superior alternative to a six-core chip Intel introduced last year. John Fruehe, director of business development for the Opteron line, noted that the new Opteron works for servers that use two, four or eight chips.
Intel’s six-core Xeon, by contrast, is aimed solely at higher-end servers with four and eight chips; some companies want to use the same chip technology throughout their computer rooms, Mr. Fruehe said.
Intel grabbed a performance advantage earlier this year in servers that use one or two chips, through an addition to its Xeon line dubbed Nehalem. Last week, Intel announced plans to extend that design to higher-end machines, with an eight-core model expected early next year for servers with two, four or eight chips.
Computer makers that include Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc. and Sun Microsystems Inc. said they plan to offer products based on the new AMD chip, which was delivered about five months sooner than originally expected. The new Opteron models have list prices that range from $455 to $2,649 Source: online.wsj.com/article/SB124387647662472755.html
