Oct. 13, 2000 (Electronic Buyers News - CMP via COMTEX) -- San Jose - Advanced
Micro Devices Inc. last week unveiled its long-awaited dual-processor
architecture for thin-client servers as the company officially took the leap
into this Intel-dominated market.
The announcement, made at the Microprocessor Forum here, demonstrated the
company's continuing movement into higher-performance sectors of the
microprocessor market, following respective successes with the Duron and Athlon
CPUs at the lower and upper tiers of the PC space.
"After starting with Athlon, this [server technology] is our latest
progression," said Bob Mitton, AMD's division marketing manager for server
products, who predicted the architecture will show up in merchant servers in the
first half of 2001.
While the dual-processor configuration represents a move toward more complex
computing platforms, the company is nevertheless grazing at the low end of the
server market, according to Linley Gwennap, an analyst at the Linley Group,
Mountain View, Calif.
"We're talking about dual processors where there are a lot of volumes but not
many margins," Gwennap said. "If you have a little file server in your office,
their technology is okay, but if you want a high-reliability box, it's not
there."
But AMD's move into processor servers is a stepping stone toward higher-margin
products, Gwennap said. "This application is certainly a higher-margin sector
than PCs," Gwennap said. "But the server market is a big hill to climb."
IDC, Framingham, Mass., said 1.9 million dual processor servers were sold last
year, and expects that figure to rise to 2.3 million units in 2000.
AMD's dual-processor architecture is geared for X86-based servers using a
combination of the Athlon processor, AMD-760 chipset, and double-data-rate
SDRAM. The system helps eliminate bottlenecks related to existing X86
multiprocessing systems through its L2 cache architecture and two 266-MHz
frontside buses, AMD said.
In addition to supporting Windows-based operating systems, the double-processor
architecture is compatible with Unix-based systems, according to the company.
But how will the architecture stack up against Intel's dual-Pentium-processor
engine? "While Intel is trying to out-position us, they're really offering dual
processing based on their Pentium III, which is an old technology compared with
the Athlon," Mitton said. "You'll have to wait until 3Q or 4Q for their new
dual-processor technology, which will also be very expensive."
Intel declined to comment on AMD's double-processor technology, stating that it
doesn't speculate on competing products.
AMD reportedly is looking to transition its X86 architecture to 64-bit
processing to suit higher-end servers. For these applications, AMD will face a
challenge bringing its Windows-based platform against a firmly established Unix
market already served by the likes of Compaq, IBM, and Sun Microsystems.
ebnonline.com
By: Bruce Gain
Copyright 2000 CMP Media Inc. |
