AMD (NYSE: AMD) today unveiled more industry-defining
architectural features for its upcoming native Quad-Core AMD
Opteron(TM) processors (codenamed "Barcelona") during a presentation
to the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC). In
addition to the estimated 40-percent performance advantage native
Quad-Core AMD Opteron(TM) processors can offer over the competition in
benchmark testing, AMD's redesigned microarchitecture will enable new
power- and thermal-management techniques, strengthening the
industry-leading performance-per-watt AMD Opteron processors currently
deliver today. Among the new features are enhancements to AMD
PowerNow!(TM) technology for dynamic adjustment of individual core
frequencies.
"AMD has always focused on delivering increased levels of
performance without making compromises in power efficiency," said
Randy Allen, corporate vice president, Server and Workstation
Division, AMD. "'Barcelona' will build on this value proposition while
delivering industry-changing dynamics to the x86 server market, much
like the original AMD Opteron processor did in 2003. New power
management features, unique to the x86 market, combined with
industry-leading performance and stability, make it clear why AMD
remains the smarter choice for enterprises."
Optimum Power Consumption
AMD is taking a multi-pronged approach to enabling reduced
system-level power consumption for exceptional performance and low
energy costs. Enhancements to AMD PowerNow!(TM) technology will enable
systems based on native Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors to
dynamically adjust frequencies at the individual core level for
further power consumption reductions.
Another new power management enhancement leverages AMD's Direct
Connect Architecture and integrated memory controller by enabling
"Barcelona" processor cores to reduce voltage levels even while the
memory controller runs at full speed. This enables the memory
controller to service external memory requests independent from core
p-state transitions, thus enabling p-state opportunities which can
lead to additional power savings.
The system memory interface also includes a feature that powers
down memory logic when not in use. AMD has also made extensive use of
"clock gating" in the "Barcelona" design to enable automatic shut-down
of areas of logic not being utilized for further power savings.
"Today's IT system purchasers must weigh performance-per-watt as
well as raw performance as they make their buying decisions," noted
Nathan Brookwood, Research Fellow at Insight 64. "By doubling the
number of cores, adding a shared third level cache and applying a
variety of other extensive CPU design enhancements, AMD's 'Barcelona'
designers clearly have addressed the numerator in the
performance-per-watt equation. Today's ISSCC disclosures reveal
'Barcelona' also includes innovations such as the ability to vary each
CPU core's frequency independently, along with a number of proven
energy-saving techniques like 'clock-gating' that address the
denominator in the equation. The combination of these new performance
and power-saving features should drive a dramatic improvement in the
already strong performance-per-watt AMD Opteron processor-based
systems offer today."
Upcoming native Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors are designed for
the same power infrastructure AMD customers depend on today - 68, 95
and 120 Watt thermal envelopes.
Optimum Performance Levels
While special attention was paid to the power-saving design
features in native Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors, equal emphasis
was placed on delivering industry-leading performance. Quad-Core AMD
Opteron processors are packed with core and cache enhancements
designed to improve performance on a range of server and workstation
applications. Cache-sensitive transactional applications such as Web,
database and email servers can benefit from the addition of a 2MB
shared L3 cache. Simulations conducted in AMD laboratories indicate
that certain database applications will see performance improvements
up to 70 percent and certain floating point applications will
experience performance gains of up to 40 percent over platforms
powered by current dual-core AMD Opteron processors. High-performance
computing (HPC) applications can benefit tremendously from a doubling
of Barcelona's floating-point execution pipeline to 128-bit width,
which includes an AMD-only doubling of instruction and data delivery
capabilities. Finally, through enhancements to AMD Virtualization(TM)
(AMD-V(TM)), including Nested Paging, virtualization customers can
enjoy additional application performance improvements over non AMD-V
driven applications.
Availability
Quad-Core AMD Opteron Processors are expected to be available in
mid-2007.
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is a leading global provider of
innovative processing solutions in the computing, graphics and
consumer electronics markets. AMD is dedicated to driving open
innovation, choice and industry growth by delivering superior
customer-centric solutions that empower consumers and businesses
worldwide. For more information, visit www.amd.com.
Cautionary Statement
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding AMD's
product introduction schedule and the features and specifications of
future quad-core processor products, which are made pursuant to the
safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements in
this release involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from the company's current expectations.
Risks include the possibility that the company will not achieve its
current product introduction schedule and that customer adoption and
infrastructure support of quad-core AMD64 processors will not occur as
expected. We urge investors to review in detail the risks and
uncertainties in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission
filings, including but not limited to the Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the year ended December 25, 2005 and AMD's quarterly report on
Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 1, 2006.
AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Opteron, AMD PowerNow! and
combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks
of their respective owners.
