AMD’s 64 bit processor global launch in 2003

BANGALORE: AMD has announced that it will globally launch its 64 bit processor in the first quarter of 2003. It will simultaneously be made available in India too during the same period, informed AMD Country Manager-India Sanjeev Keskar.

The new processor, AMD Opteron, is based on the 8^th generation processor core and will be made available for desktops and servers. According to a statement by the company, the new processor will give companies higher investment protection especially in a price sensitive country like India to enable them to migrate from 32 bit code to 64 bit code, seamlessly.

Opteron also incorporates HyperTransport technology that reduces system bottlenecks, enables better efficiency and increases throughput to improve overall system performance, quoted the release.

The company’s Indian operations, started in March 2001, has gained 14 percent market share in the past one year, up from three percent, last year.

"We have been making rapid inroads in to the Indian microprocessor market. Over the past 12 months, we have been successful in increasing our OEM network, enhancing its distribution partnership and gradually growing its India market share," said Keskar.

It recently appointed Tech Pacific as its national distributor. With this latest appointment, AMD, has four distributors, eight master resellers and over 1,200 resellers in the country.

On the OEM front, AMD has built alliances with global Infotech majors like HP and Compaq to gain foothold in the Indian market and ramp up its presence in this geography. It has also developed partnerships with Indian OEM’s such as Vintron and HCL to further augment its market share and make inroads into the corporate, government and educational segments in India.