AMD launches 45nm Opteron 'Shanghai' processor

BANGALORE, INDIA: AMD announced widespread availability of its 45nm quad-core Opteron processor, delivering up to 35 percent more performance with up to a 35 percent decrease in power consumption at idle.

The new processor can help drive data center efficiencies and reduce complexities with innovations that offer superior virtualization performance and increased performance-per-watt. Global OEMs are likely to immediately offer enterprise and SMB customers over 25 systems, available between today's launch and the end of the year, based on the 45nm quad-core AMD Opteron processor, codenamed Shanghai.

By improvements to AMD's Direct Connect Architecture and AMD-Virtualization (AMD-V) technology, 45nm quad-core AMD Opteron processors build on AMD's legacy as the virtualization platform of choice, with the new processor already powering nine global OEM servers specifically designed for virtualization. The processors deliver faster 'world switch' time, which enhances virtual machine efficiency, and feature improved Rapid Virtualization Indexing, AMD's innovation in AMD-V that reduces the overhead associated with software virtualization.

On the energy efficiency side, AMD's Smart Fetch technology can help reduce power consumption by allowing cores to enter a 'halt' state during processing idle times with zero impact on application performance and compliments AMD's CoolCore technology, which reduces power on unused sections of each processor to further reduce power consumption.

AMD also plans to this high performance and energy-efficient 45nm processor to the desktop PC market in Q1 2009 with the AMD platform codenamed 'Dragon.' The Dragon platform is designed to harness the power of fusion by optimizing the performance of new 45nm AMD Phenom II X4 quad-core processors with AMD 700 series chipsets and ATI Radeon HD4000 series graphics.

AMD India center's contribution

According to Karthik Muttuswamy, Silicon Design Head, AMD India, the AMD India design team, based out of Bangalore, was involved in all aspects of Shanghai, from architecture to tapeout. Shanghai was developed across Centers of Excellence in the United States and India. The US/India teams delivered key sections of the chip. The Bangalore team of AMD India put them all together to create the complete design.

He said: "Shanghai is a result of a closely co-ordinate work effort between AMD’s development centers in India and Austin with the Indian team leading the effort. As part of AMD’s globalized strategy, the India centre has been collaborating with other R&D centers for all the latest cutting edge products from AMD.

"The significant role played by India center in the development of Shanghai processor is a reflection of the strategic role that India is playing in global development activities. AMD India’s role in AMD’s global strategy is increasingly becoming crucial and the India Development Center is considered as the global lead center of excellence for a variety of core technologies and products. We are proud of the fact that India is playing a decisive role in driving the roadmap for next generation processors and has contributed tremendously to the latest 45nm server processor."