AMD’s Opteron Attracts Big Players
AMD
has played an important and perhaps transforming card into the
server and workstation market, offering the first 64-bit
processor, Opteron, that is compatible with existing 32-bit x86
software. This
could crack the barrier to the 64-bit market faced by Intel’s
Itanium offering, which has been hindered by the slow pace of
new or ported 64-bit software.
The new AMD64 technology allows customers to protect
their existing software investments by continuing to use all
their 32-bit software until they decide to implement new, 64-bit
software. Existing
32-bit and new 64-bit software can run side-by-side, so AMD
believes computer systems based on the AMD64 architecture can
create the foundation for a unified 32- and 64-bit information
technology infrastructure.
A
number of industry players intend to take advantage of this
notion, including IBM, offering systems based on the new AMD
chip. AMD believes the offering is sufficiently appealing, because
of the 32-bit compatibility, that it is pricing the processors
much more closely to Intel prices. (Historically, in its Number
Two position, AMD would use significant price differentials as a
way to attract OEM customers.)
The offering will start with 2-way processors priced at:
 |
Model 240 $283 each in lots of 1,000 - Performance at or better
than Xeon 2.6 plus path to 64-bit computing
|
|
Model 242 $690 each in lots of 1,000 – Performance at or
better than Xeon 3.06 plus path to 64-bit computing
|
|
Model 244 $794 each in lots of 1,000
|
Other
vendors who plan to support the new chip architecture include
Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Oracle, and Microsoft.
Microsoft has committed to a 64-bit version of its
Windows 2003 operating system for the Enterprise and Data Center
in mid-2003. SuSE
and Red Hat have also promised Opteron support, with SuSE
shipping a 64-bit Linux which also supports 32-bit Linux
applications first.
IBM
not only intends to use the Opteron chip, they also played a key
role in getting the chip’s manufacturing technology ready. AMD
used the services of IBM’s engineering and technology services
business, a relatively new IBM engineering consulting practice
that works with chip design customers such as Sony and Toshiba.
IBM helped with a short-term technology transfer
assignment around its expertise in Silicon-on-Insulator
technology.
Intel
response to AMD’s 32- plus 64-bit play may be adding some
already discussed firmware, the Execution Layer, which allows
32-bit programs to be executed 10-100 times faster in both
Windows and Linux environments on an Intel 64-bit chip.
It’s rumored that this technology might show up first
on an Intel chip later this year.
