AMD Demonstrates First Native Quad-Core X86 Server Processor
AMD Demonstrates First Native Quad-Core X86 Server Processor
AMD demonstrated the first native quad-core x86 server processor, achieving four x86 processing cores on a single die of silicon. At the annual AMD Industry Analyst Forum, a server powered by four upcoming Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors (codenamed Barcelona), manufactured on 65nm silicon-on-insulator process technology, was shown utilizing all 16 cores.
Upgradeability from dual- to quad-core processors is expected to be as straightforward as it was from single- to dual-core with AMD, with unchanged thermal and electrical envelopes. The reference server platform was seamlessly upgraded to quad-core by replacing the server’s existing DDR2-based AMD Opteron processors with the new Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors and updating the BIOS.
The upcoming AMD Opteron processors are based on AMD’s Direct Connect Architecture, which reduces bottlenecks found in legacy front-side bus x86 architectures and includes AMD’s Integrated Memory Controller.
Native Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors are also planned to feature enhanced AMD Virtualization (AMD-V) technology with nested page tables.
AMD quad-core technology was demonstrated on a reference server platform running 64-bit Windows Server 2003. The four-processor server was powered by native Quad-Core AMD Opteron 8000 Series processors.
AMD expects to begin shipping native Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors that incorporate four processor cores on a single die of silicon to customers in mid-2007. The first AMD quad-core processor line-up introduced will be for the two- to eight-socket server and workstation market.
Source: AMD
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