AMD (NYSE:AMD) today announced that its Torrenza
Initiative is serving as a collaborative force toward achieving future
processor socket compatibility in the server industry. By leveraging
the advantages of AMD64 with Direct Connect Architecture and
HyperTransport(TM) technology, OEMs will be able to standardize on a
Torrenza Innovation Socket for many of their current and future server
platforms. This game-changing approach to server design will enable
OEMs to consolidate server offerings for multiple processors to
potentially a single platform, reducing datacenter disruption and
deployment costs for customers. The Torrenza initiative is
establishing AMD64 as the Open Innovation Platform.
Leading server OEMs that develop silicon or intend to design
products uniquely enabled by the Torrenza Initiative, including Cray,
Fujitsu Siemens Computers, HP, IBM, Dell and Sun Microsystems, have
endorsed Torrenza as an open innovation initiative, and plan to
evaluate the Torrenza Innovation Socket.
"This next phase in the Torrenza initiative would not be possible
without the enthusiasm and desire of our partners to enable open
innovation and greater collaboration across the computing ecosystem,"
said Marty Seyer, senior vice president, Commercial Segment, AMD.
"Together, we recognize that the impact of Torrenza can be
far-reaching across the industry in reducing complexity for customers
while increasing the pace of innovation both in silicon and platforms.
Datacenter managers will immediately recognize the impact of the
Torrenza open environment, and benefit from the enhanced cooperation
at the platform level, with new levels of platform stability,
upgradeability, flexibility, and capabilities for their server
infrastructure."
The Torrenza Advantage
The Torrenza Innovation Socket enables OEMs who develop their own
silicon to take full advantage of an x86 environment and the
accompanying economics associated with packaging, chipsets and
motherboard designs. OEMs will be able to contribute to and obtain the
Torrenza Innovation Socket Specification and associated design
documentation.
"As a leader in the open movement, IBM applauds AMD for taking
this step and always welcomes partners that take an open and
collaborative approach to innovation," said Bernie Meyerson, IBM
Fellow and chief technologist, IBM Systems & Technology Group. "By
working with AMD and joint clients such as Los Alamos National
Laboratories, we are collaborating to deliver new value by leveraging
this open approach."
"Sun sees incredible innovation opportunity associated with this
latest step in the Torrenza initiative across all of our product
lines," said Mike Splain, chief technologist and CTO, Systems Group,
Sun Microsystems. "Developing silicon for the Torrenza Innovation
Socket is something we are currently evaluating for all Sun platforms
as it presents an interesting value proposition for leveraging volume
economics while giving our customers the growth flexibility they
require."
"When combined with our HP BladeSystem Solutions Builder Program,
the AMD Torrenza initiative becomes a very effective way to deliver
high-value computing services to specialized market segments," said
Dwight Barron, HP Fellow and chief technologist, BladeSystem Division,
HP. "The industry has been looking for a way to leverage
industry-standard, high-volume IT components to solve the next tier of
specialized computing problems, and HP sees this as a way to address
that need."
"Supercomputing places heavy demands on performance and thus
innovation," said Jan Silverman, Cray's senior vice president of
corporate strategy and business development. "Our Adaptive
Supercomputing vision puts us on the edge of computer technology
advancements. With the Torrenza Innovation Socket and the emerging
Torrenza ecosystem, we can leverage additional innovations to extend
the realized performance people have come to expect from Cray."
"Fujitsu Siemens Computers sees the value in AMD's Torrenza
initiative, and has already developed technology for it. We are able
to connect two 2-socket servers seamlessly, turning them into a 4-way,
or 8-core SMP as a result of Torrenza," said Joseph Reger, CTO,
Fujitsu Siemens Computers. "Upgradeability of systems from 2-way to
8-core is a Torrenza innovation from Fujitsu Siemens Computers that
improves customers' server longevity, and reduces total cost of
ownership."
"Dell is excited about the open innovation approach provided by
AMD. The benefits of purpose-built processing elements complementing
the AMD Opteron processor are powerful," said Kevin Kettler, Chief
Technology Officer, Dell. "The flexibility of Torrenza Initiative
technology will allow Dell to continue to deliver cutting edge
solutions to our enterprise customers."
Through the Torrenza Initiative, the AMD64 computing platform is
opened for industry-wide innovation, such as connecting non-AMD
accelerators to AMD64 systems via HyperTransport technology links.
Torrenza supports a range of integration innovations from
interconnections leveraging HyperTransport, to co-processors accessing
HyperTransport, to plug-in co-processors that directly harness the
speed and communications delivered by HyperTransport.
About the AMD Opteron(TM) Processor
Today, 90 percent of the top 100 and more than 55 percent of the
top 500 of the Forbes Global 2000 companies or their subsidiaries rely
on AMD Opteron processor-based systems. AMD Opteron processors deliver
exceptional performance and performance-per-watt to the market because
they are built on AMD64 technology with Direct Connect Architecture,
innovated to reduce bottlenecks inherent in traditional front-side bus
architectures and enable a more efficient approach to computing.
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is a leading global provider of
innovative microprocessor solutions for computing, communications and
consumer electronics markets. Founded in 1969, AMD is dedicated to
delivering superior computing solutions based on customer needs that
empower users worldwide. For more information visit www.amd.com.
AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Opteron, and combinations thereof,
are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. HyperTransport is a
licensed trademark of the HyperTransport Advanced Technology
Consortium. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be
trademarks of their respective owners.
