AMD Phenom to be launched in Dec 2007

BANGALORE: Advanced Machine Devices Inc. (AMD) today said that its Phenom processor solutions are expected in December 2007.

The quad-core Phenom chip, which shares the same technology as its quad-core Opteron – codenamed Barcelona – is expected to be an replacement for Athlon 64. The Phenom is most likely to carry the X4 suffix X4, similar to Athlon.

Earlier, reports suggested that a low quantity would be available this year-end, with the mass release scheduled for New Year.

However, Alok Ohrie, managing director of AMD India, today confirmed at a press meet here that the Phenom will be available for the desktop market in December 2007.

AMD today launched its native quad-core ‘Barcelona’ Opteron processor in the country, in the presence of its India managing director Ohrie and Michael O’Brien, AMD’s director of worldwide commercial channels.

The company’s partners in India were also represented at the launch of Opteron, which AMD claimed to match the power and thermal envelopes of dual-core processors now available in the market.

AMD was offering “greater performance at lower power levels” with the Opteron. The firm said the processor provided four efficiencies, viz., system, CPU, power and virtualisation.

Opteron is aimed at the BFSI, Telecom, PHC, Education and Research, ITeS, PSU, Manufacturing, and Media and Entertainment segments. The processor also provides 4-32 way scalability, AMD said.

The processor provides quad-core solutions for both 2p and 4p systems. Other X80 technologies call for separate solutions for 2p and 4p systems, requiring IT departments to manage different environments separately.