Category Archives: Processor

AMD Readies Phenom II Processors for Mobile Computers for May Launch

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Advanced Micro Devices plans to release its next-generation mobile platform code-named Danube in May, 2010, a source familiar with the company’s plans said. The new platform will at last feature processors based on AMD’s latest micro-architecture, which may make the new chips more competitive.

Even though AMD offers fairly decent microprocessors for desktops, the company’s mobile lineup is rather pale to say at least compared to the family of mobile chips by Intel Corp. However, with the next-generation mobile platform code-named Danube AMD plans to offer a rather broad line of chips powered by K10 micro-architecture, including AMD Phenom II Black Edition chips for mobile performance enthusiasts, that will feature 128-bit floating point unit (FPU) and other improvements.

AMD Danube platform will be based on the same core-logic as current Tigris platform, namely M880G (RS880M) with built-in ATI Radeon 4200-series DirectX 10.1 graphics adapter. However, Danube will have new I/O controller – the SB820M – that will support fourteen USB 2.0 ports, two USB 1.1 ports, six Serial ATA-600 ports with RAID support, Gigabit Ethernet, advanced clock generator and so on.

It is noteworthy that at present AMD does not plan to release a chipset without integrated graphics for Danube: the AMD M870 (RX881) is only supported by current-generation Tigris platform. Obviously, notebook makers will still be able install discrete graphics processor into Danube notebooks. However, it is rather strange that AMD insists on integrated graphics on a platform that is intended to bring higher performance to the market. Perhaps, integrated graphics is needed in order to claim total support for general purpose GPU computing (GPGPU) by ATI Radeon graphics core via ATI Stream technology.

Even though AMD’s processors for Danube platform are mostly based on K10 micro-architecture, for inexpensive next-generation notebooks AMD will offer K9-based chips with 64-bit FPU. It is interesting to note that despite expectations, the code-named Champlain processors for Danube will come in S1g4 form-factor and will be incompatible with Tigris.

AMD to Start Production of First Bulldozer Processors in 1H 2011

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AMD Opteron “Interlagos” to Enter Production in the First Half of 2011

amd_opteron_dual_core_2Advanced Micro Devices will initiate production of its first-processor based on Bulldozer micro-architecture in the first half of 2011, a source familiar with the plans of the world’s second largest supplier of microprocessors has revealed. Potentially, this may mean that the long-awaited micro-architecture from AMD will be available earlier than expected.

According to a source familiar with AMD’s server plans, the chipmaker plans to commence mass production of certain versions of its code-named Interlagos microprocessors with 12 or 16 cores already in the first half of 2011. Other versions of the chips, e.g. with reduced power consumption or increased performance, will still be produced in the second half of the year.

While generally AMD formally unveils microprocessors when it begins mass production or revenue shipments of its chips. However, it is not set on stone that initiation of mass production means formal announcement. From the current point of view the information means that AMD has equal chances of launching its sixteen-core or twelve-core AMD Opteron “Interlagos” processors either in the first half of the year or in the second half of the year.

AMD Opteron 6000 “Interlagos” will be compatible with AMD’s Maranello server platform with G34 (1944-pin) sockets. It is expected that Interlagos features two code-named 32nm SOI Valencia chips with six or eight cores on the same piece of substrate.

Based on the information provided by AMD during its annual Analyst Day in November, the first Bulldozer chip code-named Zambezi (which belongs to Orochi family of desktop chips, according to the firm) will feature eight x86 processing engines with multithreading technology, two 128-bit FMAC floating point units, shared L2 cache, shared L3 cache as well as integrated memory controller. AMD also states that the new CPU will feature “extensive new power management innovations”. Based on the diagram that AMD demonstrated, the company intends to dramatically improve multithreading performance of its CPUs: two INT schedulers, an FP scheduler and separate data caches for each of four cores should do the job very well.