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Re - "Of course I fully understand your reluctance given the horror show just ahead...."
Paul for the record would you care to share your opinion on what "this horror show just ahead" will entail. Time frames and revenue dollars would be great.
Paul whats your take on the 250 million DOD welfare dollars that Cray will be getting from Phase III of the DARPA HPCS program?
Cray now allows you to use the Opteron sockets for FPGA's. So that along with the new socket merits a name change?
Have you been able to distinguish the difference between SeaStar and SeaStar2? It seems to be 99.999% marketing and .001% engineering.
I did a quick comparison between the old XT3 and the new XT4. Seems like Cray starting using the new Rev F socket with DDR2 and decided that was enough to warrant the model number change. What a joke.
Dell debuts first two AMD servers
Former Intel stronghold begins selling servers using Advanced Micro Devices' Opteron chip, and more partnership products are expected.
By Stephen Shankland
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: October 23, 2006, 1:00 PM PDT
Dell on Monday began selling its first servers using Advanced Micro Devices' Opteron processor, ending another chapter of Intel exclusivity.
The computer maker has launched two systems: the four-processor PowerEdge 6950, for higher-end tasks such as housing databases, and the two-processor PowerEdge SC1435, for high-performance computing clusters or hosting Web sites. The 6950 will be sold alongside its Intel-based equivalent, the 6850, but the SC1435 replaces the Intel-based SC1425, said Jay Parker, Dell's director of worldwide marketing for PowerEdge servers.
With the move, Dell finally joins the other three major server makers in selling AMD-based x86 servers. The Round Rock, Texas-based company long had sold only Intel-based machines. However, it announced plans for AMD servers in May and began selling AMD-based PCs in September.
Dell AMD servers
"This is really beginning of what we hope to be a long relationship," Parker said. "I would expect us to roll out additional server products over time with AMD processors."
Dell announced the move at the Oracle OpenWorld conference, where Chairman Michael Dell and AMD Chief Executive Hector Ruiz shared the stage earlier in the day.
"It's about time they did something," said IDC analyst Michelle Bailey. "They've seen so much competition in the marketplace, particularly from HP, that their customers are probably asking, 'Why don't you offer me this?'"
Computer makers sold $5.9 billion worth of x86 servers in the second quarter, according to market researcher Gartner Group, with Dell in second place after No. 1 Hewlett-Packard and before third-placed IBM.
One likely area for Dell-AMD expansion would be a mainstream two-processor model, with reliability features such as backup power supplies and better management abilities. But for now, Dell sells only models using Intel's "Woodcrest" Xeon 5100 processor--the PowerEdge 1950 and 2950.
"We feel real comfortable with our position in that part of the market," Parker said. "The competitiveness of the Intel-based products is excellent now."
But don't expect AMD chips to spread across the Dell product line like wildfire. "I think they'll be very cautious about this adoption," Bailey said. "Once they get the supply chain going and the capabilities built inhouse, then they'll probably address the higher-volume piece of the business."
But adding AMD servers means Dell has an interesting challenge in positioning its products. In its news release, it boasts that the 6950 "eclipses" performance of its 6850 and consumes up to 20 percent less power.
Parker said that Dell will work to steer customers in the right direction, depending on what types of software they need to run. "We see a lot of customer confusion based on the competitors' agnostic positioning of Intel versus AMD. It leaves their customers in the lurch. As we roll out, we'll be providing specific guidance where appropriate," he said.
Intel indicated it's not going to stand passively by while AMD arrives at its previously most loyal customer.
"It's our job to continue to convince Dell and their customers that we have the best products for any computing need," Intel said in a statement. "Our server group is just coming off a record quarter, where we believe we gained share in the highest volume areas and now have the highest performing four-processor product according to TPC-C," a database server benchmark.
Dell prefers to stay above the fray but argues that the rivalry is healthy.
"In general, having competition in this space, both in marketplace and at Dell, will provide better value for customers in the long term and, ultimately, innovation in the industry," Parker said.
The 6950 has a starting price of $6,499; the SC1435 begins at $1,299.
The AMD machines rely on supporting chipsets from Broadcom's ServerWorks group, Parker added.
Dell's SC1435 is available with AMD "SE" Opteron, which consumes more power, but at 2.8GHz, it runs 200MHz faster than mainstream Opterons. Until now, only Sun Microsystems has offered the SE Opterons.
Also on Monday, in conjunction with Oracle OpenWorld, Dell announced that its OpenManage system management tools have been integrated into Oracle Enterprise Manager, letting customers of the latter manage Dell servers.
http://news.com.com/Dell+debuts+first+two+AMD+servers/2100-1010_3-6128641.html?tag=nefd.top
mas did you see this?
The Q2 part should contain all of the core enhancements, the Q4/1 part should have the rest. I still expect Conroe to beat it core for core in all cases, but AMD has a chance when the platforms are taken into account, IE >1 core systems.
-Charlie
http://www.aceshardware.com/forums/read_post.jsp?id=120066879&forumid=1
"Now, if only they could get their 65nm act together, they'd actually be formidable competition until Nehalem arrives."
Doug what happens when Nehalem arrives in your opinion? And are you aware of what AMD will have out in the sametime frame.
Thanks,
Keith what do you think about this blog from Fabtech:
http://www.fabtech.org/content/view/1756/
The news/rumour on AMD shipping 65nm parts out and to Dell seems big. I wonder why there is not much discussion on that.
http://www.siliconinvestor.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=22731791
Things on the Intel board are getting very interesting. Amazing that they consider you a "Droid". Its great that you are able to reply to them in the respectful manner that you do, without lowering the already low quality of the way things are. FWIW I find your post to be very insigthful and well balanced.
IBM Puts AMD Inside
.
.
"One of the things you're seeing is the recognition that, yes, Intel may be curing some of the worst breakages that it's had over the last couple years, but that notwithstanding, AMD is here to stay," explains Haff.
.
.
http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/newsanalysis/techhardware/10300685.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=...
Re -"Secondly it is not inconsistent with the Mercury account
because the former shows Intel taking the lead in June
while the latter shows AMD gaining share for Q2 as a
whole."
It is not inconsistent, you just need to pay better attention to what you are reading. Both data points are in agreement. Both
state Intel took share in mobile. Both show AMD doing ok in desktop.
Smallpops
IBM, AMD to deepen Opteron ties
By Stephen Shankland
http://news.com.com/IBM%2C+AMD+to+deepen+Opteron+ties/2100-1006_3-6096706.html
IBM and Advanced Micro Devices are expected to announce an alliance that will lead to mainstream IBM servers based on the Opteron processor, CNET News.com has learned. It's a further boost to chipmaker AMD and new blow to rival Intel's server business.
The companies are expected to tout the partnership Aug. 1 at a New York event featuring Hector Ruiz, AMD's chief executive, and Susan Whitney, head of IBM's x85 server group, sources familiar with the event said.
IBM and AMD are already partners--indeed, IBM was the first of the big four server makers to endorse the Opteron processor. In addition, the two companies share chip-manufacturing technology.
However, there's room for improvement. While rivals Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems have given Opteron first-class citizen status, and even longtime holdout Dell has announced Opteron server plans, IBM's Opteron servers were geared for high-performance computing rather than for the mainstream business market.
"IBM was the first company to jump into the pool with AMD's Opteron, but they've always stayed at the shallow end," said Insight64 analyst Nathan Brookwood.
AMD declined to comment for this story. IBM representatives didn't respond to several requests for comment.
Opteron's successes haven't gone unnoticed at Big Blue. Bill Zeitler, head of IBM's server group, said in April that HP and Sun gained at IBM's expense because of their Opteron products. AMD-based products, including IBM's own blades, generate more revenue because their higher performance means customers buy them with more memory and other add-ons, Zeitler said.
A tighter AMD partnership would make sense, said Envisioneering Group analyst Richard Doherty.
"It's something that we've heard customers wanting IBM to explore for some time now," Doherty said. IBM may have forborne tightening ties with AMD until now because "they may have been afraid of injuring the Intel relationship," he added.
Intel has suffered market share losses to AMD because of Opteron (though its more-powerful Xeon 5100 "Woodcrest" chips are now coming to market). And it has suffered financially: Its Digital Enterprise Group, which sells server chips, saw its revenue decline 23 percent from $6 billion in the second quarter of 2005 to $4.6 billion in the second quarter of 2006.
August is a good time to buddy up with AMD. The chipmaker is expected to debut its new dual-core "Rev F" Opteron products on Aug. 15. The new processor generation will include virtualization features and will be easy to upgrade to quad-core models in 2007. Sun, by far the most enthusiastic Opteron partner, plans to announce new Rev F-based servers soon.
A deeper partnership between IBM and AMD could take several forms, ranging from joint technology development to work on mainstream dual-processor servers. It might even cover the creation of more-powerful multiprocessor machines that could rival IBM's current Intel-based 32-processor, the System x3950, formerly called the x460.
In the April interview, Zeitler specifically pointed to four-processor servers as an area where AMD could have helped IBM. Although Intel has improved performance with its dual-processor Xeon 5100 models, its forthcoming "Tulsa" chip for four-processor machines is still based on the power-hungry and discredited NetBurst lineage.
Dell's Opteron embrace thus far is limited to four-processor servers.
rlweitz,
IBM has acknowledged that they would of performed better if they had a 4-way Opteron product. You may recall this article:
"I don't want to speculate when and if we would expand our activities here, but there's no question HP and Sun have benefited by having a broader Opteron portfolio than we've had," Zeitler said. "There are a whole bunch of business considerations that would say we would have done better had we had a four-(processor) Opteron product."
http://news.com.com/IBM+warms+to+AMD+Opteron+servers/2100-1010_3-6066330.html
Sun Microsystems Powers Asia's Fastest Supercomputer at Tokyo Institute of Technology
Monday May 15, 8:00 am ET
Sun Fire(TM) x64 Servers Enable Tokyo Tech to Achieve Record Breaking Results in Prestigious Linpack Benchmark
SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- At Grid Asia 2006, Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW - News) today announced that the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), one of the world's leading technical institutes, has installed the fastest supercomputer outside the United States. Tokyo Tech's supercomputer, called TSUBAME after the University's symbol bird swallow, is powered by Dual-core AMD Opteron(TM) processor-based Sun Fire(TM) x64 (x86, 64-bit) servers. This successful installation and benchmark completion marks Sun's largest high performance computing (HPC) win to date, and TSUBAME is expected to be one of the ten largest supercomputers in the world, when the next Top500® (http://www.top500.org) list is released in June 2006.
The Tokyo Tech TSUBAME is the fastest supercomputer outside of the United States as measured by sustained Linpack performance as of May 2006. TSUBAME is also the largest supercomputer outside the United States and includes more than 21 Terabytes of memory and 1.1 Petabyte of hard disk storage. The system is based on Sun Fire x64 servers with 10,480 AMD Opteron processor cores and Sun storage technologies. Rapid deployment of the system was made possible through NEC's system integration expertise and the use of Sun's N1 management software running on the Solaris(TM) 10 Operating System (OS), including N1 (TM) System Manager (N1SM) and N1 Grid Engine (N1GE). By using the Sun N1SM and N1GE, the system can support both the Solaris 10 OS and the Linux operating system.
Preliminary testing performed at Tokyo Tech clearly demonstrated Sun's ability to deliver the fastest supercomputer outside the United States as measured by sustained performance using the industry standard Linpack Benchmark. The Linpack Benchmark is a highly parallel computing test designed to measure how fast a computer system solves linear equations, a common task in engineering and scientific applications. Tokyo Tech achieved a sustained performance of 36.36 trillion floating point operations per second (TeraFLOPS). Linpack imposes maximum load on a benchmarked machine for up to a day for system of TSUBAME's size, requiring utmost system reliability to properly complete. Similar sized supercomputers often take a year or more to achieve the level of stability required to complete the Linpack test.
"This is truly an unprecedented achievement, given that TSUBAME was installed in just three weeks, and it has only been a month since the it went into production," said Satoshi Matsuoka, Professor in charge of Research Infrastructure at Global Scientific Information and Computing Center, Tokyo Institute of Technology. "And we have only begun to understand the true capability of TSUBAME. We expect further advances in performance with utilization of acceleration, as well as to exploit the other superior aspects of the system, such as very large memory, fat node shared memory architecture with fast interconnect, ultra fast & reliable storage, and most importantly, x86 compatibility with desktop environments."
"Sun is excited to be an integral player in this supercomputing milestone for Tokyo Tech. Our industry-standard 'Galaxy' line of Sun Fire x64 servers, along with the contributions of our partners, have created an HPC solution that surpasses all others outside the U.S. in terms of speed and compute power," said John Fowler, executive vice president, Network Systems Group at Sun Microsystems. "This triumph is not only significant for Tokyo Tech, but for any company that values swift time-to-market, superior performance and low risk."
Sun partners AMD and NEC play pivotal roles in the development of Asia's largest supercomputer. AMD offers customers the highest performing x64 processor and industry-leading multi-core technology. NEC, the primary systems integrator, is leading the design of the infrastructure as well as the integration of the various applications which will run on the system, based on their extensive experience in building and managing ultra-scale HPC systems. In addition to working with AMD and NEC, Sun's system also incorporates technology from ClearSpeed Technology Inc., ClusterFS, and Voltaire into the Tokyo Tech system. ClearSpeed Advance Boards(TM) installed in the system will be used in the future to accelerate commonly used scientific algorithms; ClusterFS's Lustre parallel file system software allows the servers to communicate with the storage in parallel, speeding access to the ever increasing amounts of scientific data being processed; and Voltaire is supplying high speed multi-protocol Infiniband switches and host card adapters to connect both the servers and storage.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060515/sfm058.html?.v=49&printer=1
Buggi,
I'm curious, what does the yellow light do in the last picture?
Intel CTO: Second quarter will be slow
By Reuters
http://news.com.com/Intel+CTO+Second+quarter+will+be+slow/2100-1001_3-6064184.html
Intel may have to put up with continuing slow demand for its chips this quarter as customers wait for the launch of its new products in the second half of the year, an executive said.
"We are seeing a bit of a slowdown," Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner told Reuters in an interview on Monday, saying he believed those clients with the flexibility to wait for the new, more efficient chips were doing so.
"You always see a little bit of that, so literally until we have them available, until we have them on the market, we're going to have to deal with that," he said.
The world's biggest chipmaker, which cut its annual revenue forecast last week as it faces a growing challenge from rival Advanced Micro Devices, is launching a new line of more efficient microprocessors in the second half of the year.
AMD has made inroads into Intel's dominant market share through innovations such as being first to put two processing cores in a single chip, allowing it to handle multiple tasks more efficiently, and cutting power usage.
Rattner said Intel's new Core Duo processor, which it launched this year, was "unquestionably more efficient" than any comparable product from AMD, and as efficient as its 486 and Pentium processors of more than a decade ago.
"I think we've thrown down the gauntlet," he said.
Intel unveiled its new line of more efficient microprocessors last month to reverse a trend of making chips that guzzle more and more electricity, and acknowledged it was under "tremendous competitive pressure" from AMD.
Rattner said on Monday: "I think the second half of the year will be very strong for Intel."
Tera computing
Rattner was speaking at the official opening of a new research center in the city of Braunschweig, or Brunswick, in north-western Germany, where Intel will focus on processors with many more cores than the dual-core chips it currently offers.
He said Intel was looking at "a time in the not-too-distant future--end of the decade, early next decade--when there will be tens of cores per chip ... Here in Braunschweig they'll take part of that agenda."
Braunschweig, which employs about 120 research and development staff, will be part of Intel's so-called tera-scale research program, developing processors that can handle a trillion or more operations per second.
"We're on something of an applications plateau because overall performance growth has slowed," Rattner said.
Rattner said tera-computing was needed, for example, to develop applications that mimicked human behavior in fields such as recognizing speech or shapes.
"The advent of multicore is going to put us back on what had been this long-term trajectory where we were doubling performance every 18 to 24 months. Applications will change dramatically because of the amount of computing power," he said.
Story Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
H-P, AMD Reap Benefits of Expensive Taste
Maya Roney, 04.05.06, 3:48 PM ET
Hewlett-Packard on the Forbes 400
A preference for expensive high-tech over "cheap-tech" is shaping recent developments in the technology industry to the advantage of Hewlett-Packard and Advanced Micro Devices, according to research firm Caris & Company.
"Customers actively seek out more expensive and more capable products while shunning lost-cost products that are viewed as obsolete," wrote analyst Mark Stahlman in a report.
"We suggest that Hewlett-Packard’s aggressive use of high-tech AMD in both its PCs and servers will be a continuing reason to prefer its stock to its cheap-tech rival Dell."
This dynamic also benefits the television set and smartphone markets, including Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ), Palm, (nasdaq: PALM - news - people )Research in Motion (nasdaq: RIMM - news - people ), Motorola (nyse: MOT - news - people ), Nokia (nyse: NOK - news - people ), Sony-Ericsson (nasdaq: ERICY - news - people ) and Qualcomm (nasdaq: QCOM - news - people ), according to the analyst.
The tilt towards high-tech is likely to stretch into 2007 and 2008, and possibly beyond, according to the Caris analyst, depending on the pace of the combined upgrade cycles to Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people )'s Windows Vista, Virtual Computing, HD media and smartphones.
"We recognize that investors who have been trained to only expect steady price declines and even price wars will find this shift towards high-tech counter-intuitive," Stahlman said. "As a result, many may be inclined to miss opportunities and/or to exit strong performing stocks too soon."
Caris has "buy" ratings on Hewlett-Packard (nyse: HPQ - news - people ) and AMD, an "average" rating on Dell, and a "below average" rating on Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ).
http://www.forbes.com/2006/04/05/hewlett-packard-amd-0405markets09.html?partner=yahootix
Sun Microsystems Delivers Industry's Fastest, Densest and Most Reliable Carrier Grade Blade Server
Wednesday April 5, 8:50 am ET
Sun's Netra ATCA Blade Server Delivers Superior Choice, Innovation and Value; Supports Industry's First UltraSPARC(R) and AMD Opteron Processor-based ATCA Blades with Choice of Solaris 10 or MontaVista Linux CGE(R) Operating Systems
LAS VEGAS, CTIA Wireless Conference, April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW - News) today introduced its new carrier-grade Netra(TM) AdvancedTCA (ATCA) blade server family, which includes the world's first UltraSPARC® and AMD Opteron(TM) processor-based ATCA blades. Sun Netra ATCA blade server establishes a new standard for ATCA blade servers in the industry, offering up to 30% percent better compute density and up to 10% percent more performance as compared to Intel-based ATCA blade products and is designed for six-9's reliability, just seconds of downtime a year.
Sun's ATCA blade server family offers greater flexibility for network equipment providers (NEPs) and service providers worldwide, delivering higher service availability, faster time to market, reduced development costs and lower total cost of operations. In addition, Sun Netra ATCA blade server gives customers more choice by allowing them to mix-and-match processors and carrier-grade operating systems in the same server and is compatible with other Sun servers, StorEdge storage, Java(TM) Enterprise System middleware and thousands of Solaris(TM) Operating System applications.
"Today Sun strengthens its leadership in the telecom market -- Sun's largest vertical market -- where Netra servers are used by all of the top 10 network equipment providers worldwide," said David Yen, executive vice president of the Scalable Systems Group, Sun Microsystems. "Sun's new Netra ATCA blade server family adds innovation to open standards-based products, enabling NEP and service provider customers to successfully and profitably deploy next generation, high bandwidth telecom network infrastructure, IP-based service architectures and new revenue-generating services."
Based on open PICMG 3.x and Service Availability Forum (SAF) standards, the new Netra ATCA blade server family includes: the Netra(TM) CT900 blade server, a highly-reliable, 12U/14 slot ATCA blade server; the Netra(TM) CP3010 blade, the first dual UltraSPARC IIIi processor-based ATCA blade; the Netra(TM) CP3020 blade, the industry's first Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor-based ATCA blade; the SAF-compliant Netra High Availability Suite (NHAS) and Netra Blade Management Suite; and a redundant Gigabit Ethernet Switch Blade. In addition, Sun's Netra ATCA blade server will offer a choice of carrier grade operating systems -- Solaris 10 and MontaVista Linux® Carrier Grade Edition (CGE) -- supported in the same ATCA blade server.
"NTT COMWARE CORPORATION is interested in Sun's Netra (TM) CT900 ATCA Blade Server because it is an integrated, open standards-based computing platform, offering a choice of ATCA compute blades and operating systems in the same server," said Senior Vice President, NTT COMWARE CORPORATION. "With a choice of UltraSPARC (TM) or AMD Opteron processor-based ATCA compute blades with Solaris (TM) or MontaVista Linux Operating Systems in the same server, the Sun Netra CT900 ATCA Blade Server could be used for many types of next-generation telecom applications. Sun's UltraSPARC T1 CMT technology also provides us the innovation in performance, space and power consumption for our network-facing applications."
Sun Offers Industry's First AMD Opteron Processor-Based ATCA Blade with Support for Both Solaris 10 and MontaVista Linux CGE Operating Systems
Sun will bring the advantages of the proven, carrier grade Solaris 10 and MontaVista Linux CGE operating systems with a common SAF-compliant management and availability software suite to those customers who choose to use the AMD Opteron processor in Sun's Netra ATCA blade server. This combination will provide high performance carrier grade reliability with a lower total cost of development and operations for next-generation, high-bandwidth telecom network infrastructure, IP-based service architectures and new revenue-generating services, such as Push-to-Talk, Presence and IPTV.
"The telecom industry is undergoing significant change with consolidation and increasing consumer requirements," said Marty Seyer, senior vice president, Commercial and Performance Computing, AMD. "The strength of the Sun and AMD relationship is carrying over from enterprise computing to carrier-grade servers. The new Netra family of carrier-grade servers is yet another result of our firm commitment to providing innovative, industry standard platforms that help solve key computing issues faced by business today. The telecom industry and general enterprise alike can benefit from the high-performance, low-power consumption and reliability of the AMD and Sun blade server platform."
For customers who require carrier grade Linux OS on Sun's Netra ATCA blade server, Sun is announcing support for the MontaVista Linux CGE OS. Monta Vista has completed an optimized port of its CGE Linux environment for Sun's Netra ATCA blade server and Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor-based Sun Netra blade systems.
"Network Equipment Providers are looking to MontaVista Linux Carrier Grade Edition as their Linux platform of choice for next generation infrastructures," said Mark Milazzo, vice president of worldwide sales, MontaVista Software. "We are very excited about Sun's decision to offer MontaVista Linux Carrier Grade Edition for its ATCA blade platform. Sun is recognized as a leader in carrier grade server platforms and we look forward to working closely with Sun to offer our MontaVista CGE tuned and optimized for Sun's new ATCA blade server."
Top Telecom ISV/IHV Partners Provide Backbone of Sun's Netra ATCA Server Ecosystem
Today Sun announced more than 20 independent software and hardware vendors (ISVs/IHVs) have pledged support for Sun's new Netra ATCA blade server, including: Ulticom, Interphase, Adax, Drutt Corporation, NMS Communications, Oracle Times Ten, Solid Information Technology, Jnetx, OpenCloud, Flextronics, Veraz and Wind River. In addition, Sun is working with the Java development community to help deliver an open IP-based service delivery platform and facilitate the creation of next-generation, Java-based telecom services.
"Network convergence is driving the need for more flexible service platforms. Sun has combined the modular approach, manageability and openness of the ATCA standard with the proven dependability and performance of Solaris. Sun's new Netra ATCA blade server provides a natural infrastructure for Network Equipment Providers using Ulticom Signalware to cost effectively build services with the expandability and extensibility needed to respond to the dynamics of network convergence," said Osman Duman, Senior Vice President and CMO, Ulticom.
Executive Vice President of global industry analyst firm, Ovum, Brett Azuma stated that he believes that today's NEPs need network infrastructure that helps them more rapidly adapt to meet customers' changing needs. High availability and open standards are base requirements to enable NEPs to compete in the IMS market space.
Availability
The Netra CT900 ATCA blade server and Netra CP3010 UltraSPARC ATCA blade are already shipping and the first units have been delivered to NEP and carrier customers worldwide. The Netra CP3020 AMD Opteron processor-based ATCA blade and Netra High Availability Suite (NHAS) 3.0 are scheduled to ship in second quarter of 2006. Sun reiterated its plans, first announced at the 3GSM Conference in February 2006, to deliver an ATCA-based blade running its breakthrough 8-core, 32-thread UltraSPARC T1(TM) processors by end of 2006, setting a new standard for throughput and performance in an ATCA blade. For more information on the Sun Netra ATCA blade servers, please visit: http://www.sun.com/netra or http://www.sun.com/atca
About Sun Microsystems, Inc.
A singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer"(TM) -- guides Sun in the development of technologies that power the world's most important markets. Sun's philosophy of sharing innovation and building communities is at the forefront of the next wave of computing: the Participation Age. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the Web at http://sun.com
NOTE: Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, Solaris, Netra, and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All SPARC trademarks are used under license and are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based upon an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. AMD, AMD Opteron, the AMD arrow logo, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Alex Plant
Sun Microsystems
650.786.3345
alex.plant@sun.com
Source: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
AMD Opteron(TM) Processor One of Sun Microsystems' Core Offerings for Next Generation Telecommunications Platform
Wednesday April 5, 8:01 am ET
Industry-leading telco platform provider Sun draws on the AMD64 Longevity Program to meet needs of a host of telecom customers
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2006--At the Embedded Systems Conference this week, AMD (NYSE: AMD - News) is showcasing the latest addition to the Sun Netra(TM) server family, designed to the Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (ATCA) industry specifications for next-generation communication infrastructure. The Sun Netra CP3020 will be available in configurations featuring either a single- or Dual-Core AMD Opteron(TM) processor, with industry-leading x86 performance-per-watt for servers. Sun's Netra line is designed to deliver telecommunications equipment manufacturers (TEMs) and Network Equipment Providers (NEPs) the highly reliable, high-performance, feature-rich blade platform they have demanded.
"Sun's new ATCA standards-based blade based on the AMD Opteron processor further demonstrates how Sun and AMD have collaborated to deliver power efficient and reliable solutions to customers without compromising performance," said Marty Seyer, senior vice president of Commercial Business and Performance Computing at AMD. "AMD believes AMD64 technology and the AMD Opteron processor will be the industry's default blade architecture, especially for telecom customers. Sun is moving AMD64 technology beyond their innovative Sun Fire(TM) server and Ultra(TM) workstation lines into the specialized market of next-generation telecom platforms, an industry that has strict reliability, power, and thermal requirements. AMD is pleased to help provide offerings of blade solutions that provide industry-leading x86 performance-per-watt as well as the performance scalability of native multi-core technology, in systems that meet the stringent reliability requirements of the telecom marketplace."
"Sun is a long-time leader in the telecom market and our new ATCA standards-based Netra product family will re-energize the industry," said Raju Penumatcha, vice president, Network Systems and Networking Scalable Systems Group at Sun Microsystems, Inc. "We recognized that in developing a standards-based platform with remarkable innovation, incorporating the AMD Opteron processor in our product line offers customers more choice, value, and innovation."
Sun's Netra family is designed for both density, saving up to 10 inches, or 30% space per rack, and exceptional reliability. The ATCA specification on which the Sun Netra CP3020 is built helps ensure a platform optimized for system modularity and scalability, improved thermal and power management, and support for a number of operating systems including carrier-grade Solaris 10(TM) and carrier-grade Linux®.
The Sun Netra CP3020 is the first announced Tier One OEM product developed with the AMD64 Longevity Program, providing longer-than-standard processor supply for high-end embedded markets such as telecom, storage, imaging and others.
"Because of AMD's leadership in addressing a key concern of the IT manager - scaling performance within a manageable power envelope - AMD is expanding into enterprise computing markets like telco and storage. What's more, AMD listens to the unique business requirements of our customers," said Seyer. "Our AMD64 Longevity Program is one more example of our commitment to the customer and delivering the solutions they need to achieve success."
About ATCA
AdvancedTCA is a new series of PICMG specifications, targeted to requirements for the next generation of carrier grade communications equipment. This series of specifications incorporates the latest trends in high speed interconnect technologies, next generation processors and improved reliability, manageability and serviceability.
About the AMD64 Longevity Program
The AMD64 Longevity Program is designed to allow customers designing high-end embedded products such as network, storage, blade and telecommunications servers; digital imaging; and military and industrial controls systems, to have processor availability for a minimum of five years. These markets have lengthy design and qualification cycles and longer life spans in the marketplace than typical mainstream computing products.
About the AMD Opteron Processor
Today, 90 percent of the top 100 of the Forbes Global 2000 companies or their subsidiaries rely on AMD Opteron(TM) processor-based systems. Single- and Dual-Core AMD Opteron processors deliver the highest performance and performance-per-watt in the market because they are built on AMD64 technology with Direct Connect Architecture, innovated to reduce bottlenecks inherent in traditional front-side bus architectures and enable a more efficient approach to computing.
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD - News) is a leading global provider of innovative microprocessor solutions for computing, communications and consumer electronics markets. Founded in 1969, AMD is dedicated to delivering superior computing solutions based on customer needs that empower users worldwide. For more information visit www.amd.com.
AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Opteron and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Sun, Sun Microsystems, Solaris, Sun Fire, Sun Ultra and Netra are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. AdvancedTCA is a trademark of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Contact:
AMD Global Communications
Teresa Osborne, 512-602-0040 (PR)
email: teresa.osborne@amd.com
or
Mike Haase, 408-749-3124 (IR)
Source: AMD
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060405/20060405005351.html?.v=1
AMD Begins First Revenue Shipments of AMD64 Products Manufactured at New Fab 36
Tuesday April 4, 8:00 am ET
On-Plan, On-Time Startup of Volume Production Extends AMD's Track Record of Manufacturing Strategy Execution, Sets Stage for Rapid 65nm Transition
MUNICH, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 4, 2006--At a press conference held here today, AMD (NYSE:AMD - News) announced that in March it began first revenue shipments of AMD64 processors manufactured at Fab 36 in Dresden, Germany. AMD ramped the new 300 millimeter (mm) fab to 90 nanometer (nm) volume production in record time, hitting every major milestone on schedule and beginning production at mature yields.
The company also disclosed that it has been producing a significant number of 65nm development test chips in parallel with 90nm products at the fab, in preparation for volume 65nm production later this year. Fab 36 engineers, with the help of AMD's patented Automated Precision Manufacturing (APM) systems, are constantly analyzing data collected from the test chips and making consistent improvements. Fab 36 remains on track to begin 65nm production shipments in the second-half of this year, and be substantially converted to 65nm production by mid-2007.
"Our manufacturing strategy execution continues to be flawless," said Dirk Meyer, president and chief operating officer at AMD. "The increased capacity provided by Fab 36 will contribute to our goal of doubling total production output from 2005 through 2008. We are positioned better than ever to serve our customers' long-term needs and achieve our aggressive growth objectives."
The success of Fab 36 builds upon the tremendous achievements of Fab 30, which is located adjacent to Fab 36 and manufactures chips on 200mm wafers. Through the use of APM and other ongoing productivity and efficiency enhancements, AMD increased total production output at Fab 30 by approximately 80 percent from the first quarter of 2004 through the fourth quarter of 2005. The fab, which was originally designed to produce a maximum of 20,000 wafers per month, now produces approximately 30,000 wafers per month thanks to continuous improvements and innovative new operational methods developed and used at the fab.
Fab 30 and Fab 36 are the cornerstones of AMD's flexible capacity growth plan, which focuses on bringing the right amount of capacity online at the right time through ongoing, incremental increases to total output. Using this approach, AMD can continue to meet demand for its products and grow market share, while continuing to keep fab utilization levels high.
AMD continues to also increase its operational speed, accuracy and agility using APM, which includes hundreds of AMD patented technologies that dynamically and automatically optimize fab operations. Leveraging APM's unique capabilities, AMD continues to accelerate its responsiveness to customer needs, more quickly transition to new technologies, improve quality and operate at increasing levels of efficiency.
"Over the past decade we've perfected new, more innovative operational models such as APM that have made us faster, more accurate, more agile and more efficient," said Daryl Ostrander, senior vice president of manufacturing and technology at AMD. "As a result, we are introducing advanced technologies more seamlessly than ever before. We are ramping to high yields and volume production on new products faster. We are fully converting our fabs to the next technology generation at consistently accelerated rates."
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:AMD - News) is a leading global provider of innovative microprocessor solutions for computing, communications and consumer electronics markets. Founded in 1969, AMD is dedicated to delivering superior computing solutions based on customer needs that empower users worldwide. For more information visit www.amd.com.
Cautionary Statement
This release contains forward-looking statements concerning Fab 36, including its production ramp, output and capacity, demand for AMD64-bit solutions, and capturing an increasing share of the x86 market, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that the forward-looking statements in this release involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the company's current expectations. Risks that the company considers to be the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements include the possibility that global business and economic conditions will worsen resulting in lower than currently expected demand for AMD products; that the AMD Fab 36 will not reach the manufacturing milestones set forth; that Intel Corporation's pricing, marketing programs, product bundling, new product introductions or other activities targeting the company's microprocessor business will prevent attainment of the company's current microprocessor sales plans; that demand for computers, and, in turn, demand for the company's microprocessors will be lower than currently expected; that adoption of AMD64 products by OEMs will not continue to occur as expected; that the company may not achieve its current product and technology introduction or implementation schedules; that the company will not be able to raise sufficient capital to enable it to establish leading-edge capacity to maintain its market positions and that solutions providers will not timely provide the infrastructure to support the company's AMD64 technology. We urge investors to review in detail the risks and uncertainties in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2004 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 26, 2005.
AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD64 and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other names are for are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Contact:
Advanced Micro Devices
Drew Prairie, 512-602-4425 (US PR)
drew.prairie@amd.com
Hava Mintz, 512-527-7014 (US PR)
havam@wagged.com
Mike Haase, 408-749-3124 (Investor Relations)
mike.haase@amd.com
Ruth Cotter, 408-749 3887 (Investor Relations)
ruth.cotter@amd.com
Cornelia Sonntag, +49 (351) 277 1010 (Saxony PR)
Cornelia.Sonntag@amd.com
Matt McGinnis, +44 (207) 632 8389
(Europe, Middle East and Africa PR)
mattm@waggeneredstrom.com
Source: Advanced Micro Devices
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060404/20060404005305.html?.v=1
Momentum For AMD In the Enterprise Continues with Support From HP CEO Mark Hurd and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
Tuesday April 4, 6:01 am ET
AMD Releases Survey Revealing 70 Percent of IT Decision Makers Track Issues of Power and Cooling in Datacenters
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 4, 2006--AMD (NYSE: AMD - News) announced today that its latest AMD in the Enterprise event is now available for viewing online. The latest online event features AMD Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Hector Ruiz along with HP Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Hurd and Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer. These industry-leaders will discuss how their companies are working with AMD to bring new levels of innovation to the datacenter, by focusing on issues such as automation, resource consolidation and increasing capacity, without increasing power. The event can be viewed at http://www.amd.com/enterpriseevent.
In addition to Ruiz, Hurd and Ballmer, the online event will also include segments featuring Mark Potter, vice president of the BladeSystem Division at HP, who will discuss how to keep enterprises competitive by optimizing datacenter performance, scalability, power and cooling. Also, Marty Seyer, senior vice president and general manager for Commercial and Performance Computing at AMD, will discuss why the time is now for the industry to start working towards a standard metric for datacenter power and cooling.
"With the rising costs of oil, the issue of energy efficiency has never been more important and AMD is leading the way toward efficient energy usage at the platform level," said Seyer. "This is why AMD is driving global awareness initiatives to bring greater accountability to datacenter power consumption. As part of our efforts to help reduce power consumption, AMD is working with some of the top datacenter innovators and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to drive the industry to a single power metric that addresses the balance of both efficiency and performance in today's datacenter."
Power Consumption and Cooling in the Datacenter Survey Findings
The latest AMD in the Enterprise online event will also highlight findings from a recent survey of more than 1100 IT decision-makers showing that a majority of enterprise customers face challenges related to power consumption and cooling in their datacenters. The survey, co-sponsored by Ziff-Davis, identifies the pain-points and priorities for companies that are working to increase efficiency and decrease operational costs in their datacenters as global energy costs rise. The survey is now available in its entirety on http://enterprise.amd.com.
The survey showed:
* 70 percent of organizations track power consumption and cooling issues closely,
* Among this group, 44 percent have had to continually increase the amount of power supplied to the datacenter.
These survey findings highlight the fact that datacenter managers see maximizing performance while minimizing power consumption and heat load as valid, vital concerns for IT management as well as general business management.
Energy Efficient Products and Facilities
AMD's focus on energy efficiency can be seen in its products such as the AMD Opteron(TM) processor, which enables customers to maintain superior performance in parallel with exceptional efficiency. In fact, the Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor delivers almost a 100 percent power consumption advantage over competitive alternatives. This kind of advantage allows customers to achieve greater rack density, resulting in lower utility costs without expensive retro-fitting of higher-capacity cooling systems.
AMD's commitment to energy efficiency extends from its leadership in product design to the facilities it builds. Both of AMD's wafer fabrication facilities, Fab 30 and Fab 36 in Dresden, Germany, are powered by dedicated highly efficient cogeneration plants. In addition, AMD has committed its future Austin campus to 100 percent GreenChoice power, supporting the development of alternative energy sources.
About the AMD Opteron(TM) Processor
Today, 90 percent of the top 100 of the Forbes Global 2000 companies or their subsidiaries rely on AMD Opteron processor-based systems. Single- and Dual-Core AMD Opteron processors deliver the highest performance and performance-per-watt in the x86 market because they are built on AMD64 technology with Direct Connect Architecture, innovated to reduce bottlenecks inherent in traditional front-side bus architectures and enable a more efficient approach to computing.
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD - News) is a leading global provider of innovative microprocessor solutions for computing, communications and consumer electronics markets. Founded in 1969, AMD is dedicated to delivering superior computing solutions based on customer needs that empower users worldwide. For more information visit www.amd.com.
AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Opteron, and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Contact:
AMD Global Communications
Phil Hughes, 512-602-4797
Phil.hughes@amd.com
Source: AMD
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060404/20060404005348.html?.v=1
This may sound bold, but I believe that Cray not only has samples, but that AMD has manufactured a significant fraction if not all of the needed processors.
According to Charlie AMD has been showing off quadcore behind closed doors for awhile now.
NCS Delivers Dual-Core AMD Opteron(TM) Processor-Based OEM Server Appliance Platform to BlueCat Networks for the Proteus Enterprise IPAM Appliance
NCS Delivers Dual-Core AMD Opteron(TM) Processor-Based OEM Server Appliance Platform to BlueCat Networks for the Proteus Enterprise IPAM Appliance
Thursday March 30, 2:18 pm ET
Proteus Enterprise IPAM Appliance(TM) Streamlines Operations, Cuts Costs, and Boosts Network Responsiveness
MANASSAS, Va., March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- NCS Technologies, a leading provider of servers, internet appliances, notebooks, desktops and industrial computers today announced that it has expanded its OEM Agreement with BlueCat Networks. Under the terms of this Agreement, NCS will provide OEM manufacturing services for BlueCat's Proteus 5000, a new Dual-Core AMD Opteron(TM) processor-based OEM server appliance. NCS already manufactures BlueCat's award-winning line of Secure DNS and DHCP appliances, the Adonis 1000, Adonis 500 and Adonis 250.
"With the addition of Proteus 5000, we continue to strengthen our OEM relationship with NCS," said David Berg, Director of Product Management at BlueCat Networks. "NCS was able to understand the performance requirements of the Proteus 5000 quickly and was able to provide production ready appliances in a very short period of time."
BlueCat's Proteus 5000 Enterprise IPAM Appliance(TM) enables organizations to easily create and manage a centralized set of corporate and external regulatory policies governing all DHCP and DNS services across the enterprise. Purpose-built on BlueCat's firewall-grade Linux operating system, the Proteus 5000 has a built-in firewall for advanced protection against denial-of-service attacks, buffer overflow attacks, illicit command attacks, port scanning and other zero-day exploits.
"We are extremely honored to be selected by BlueCat as the appliance manufacturing partner for the Proteus 5000 platform," said Pranay Prakash, Executive Director, OEM Servers & Appliances for NCS. "Bluecat's confidence in us reinforces our leadership position in the server appliance market. We are successful mainly because our business model is extremely simple and easy for ISVs to adopt. We have the right team and the suitable infrastructure to respond quickly and effectively to OEM requirements."
Based on the NCSAPP 260-AD (http://www.ncsapp.com/amdSingleDualCore.aspx), the Proteus 5000 2U appliance platform features two powerful Dual-Core AMD Opteron 200 series processors. With two enterprise class SCSI RAID drives, four Gigabit Ethernet interfaces and redundant power, the Proteus 5000 delivers the performance, scalability and reliability required to support millions of IP addresses and thousands of domains.
"NCS has a long-standing relationship with AMD, and we salute their role in manufacturing outstanding server appliances based on AMD64 technology with Direct Connect Architecture," said Pat Patla, Director, Server and Workstation Marketing, AMD (NYSE: AMD - News). "NCS' OEM customers can now take advantage of the industry-leading performance and performance-per-watt benefits of Dual-Core AMD Opteron processors."
About NCS
NCS Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of Windows®, Linux(TM) and BSD compatible servers, internet appliances, notebooks, desktops and industrial computers. The company's rock-solid products are manufactured in its ISO 9001:2000 registered state-of-the-art facility and are available in a range of built-to-order configurations. Please visit: http://www.ncst.com for general information and http://www.ncsapp.com to learn more about NCS' Appliance Partner Program. NCS can also be reached at (703) 621-1538.
About BlueCat Networks
Founded in 2001, BlueCat Networks, Inc. is a leading provider of simple, secure and affordable network appliances. BlueCat Networks' DNS, DHCP and IPAM solutions secure and simplify mission-critical IP infrastructures to improve reliability and accessibility while providing the lowest TCO.
The BlueCat Networks product portfolio is comprised of the Adonis(TM) family of DNS/DHCP security appliances; the Proteus Enterprise IPAM Appliance(TM) (http://www.bluecatnetworks.com/products/proteusipam/proteusipamsolutions/), and the Meridius(TM) family of Secure Email Gateway Appliances. The Adonis family of appliances are end-to-end, fast, intelligent, cross-platform, secure DNS and DHCP solutions that combine ease-of-use and low maintenance with scalability. Proteus is a next-generation, web-based, IP Address Management solution designed to manage name services, dynamic IP assignment and IP inventory for enterprise, government, and carrier-class customers. The Meridius family of Secure Email Gateway appliances offers unbeatable, real- time spam and virus detection, empowering organizations to improve network security and reduce IT costs.
BlueCat Networks is a profitable network appliance company that supports the needs of government, military, and Fortune 500 organizations worldwide. For additional information, visit http://www.bluecatnetworks.com.
BlueCat Networks, the BlueCat Networks logo, Proteus, the Proteus logo, Adonis, the Adonis logo, Meridius, and the Meridius logo are trademarks of BlueCat Networks, Inc. All other company and/or product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers.
Source: NCS Technologies, Inc.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060330/dcth040.html?.v=44
System operational date of this large system(2008) and the day when AMD will be shipping 2.6 GHz quadcores are not the same.
Some members on this board seem to not see the difference. AMD could have the processors for general availability well before the 2008 date.
Paul I seem to recall several reports of numerous senior IPF engineers leaving Intel over the past few. Do you think the net effect has begun to impact the roadmap? I'm sure if we google we can fine numerous stories over the past 24 months. Maybe I will give it a go later on.
ok, when I read it, I read that they will start to take delivery on it starting now, but I see and understand your points as well.
Paul do you expect this water cooling to be much different then the water cooling SGI used in the large NASA Ames (Columbia) install?
This may be further proof that K8L could see a Q107 intro like the other article we discussed a few days back.
CJ, it is very interesting that the article says "will start to take delivery on". Is it possible that AMD already has QC running at 2.6 GHz that it can start supplying for this system? Of course not general availability but if they have limited supply right right now it is very impressive.
Intel Seen Gaining Edge Over AMD
Monday March 27, 11:23 am ET
Analysts See Intel Gaining Edge Over AMD by Year-End
NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel Corp. got a boost in morning trading on Monday after two analysts speculated that a pair of soon-to-be-released processors could give the chip maker a competitive edge over rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
First Albany analyst Auguste Richard, who upgraded his rating of the stock to "Neutral" from "Underperform", speculated that AMD has had trouble pushing out chips made using the 65-nanometer process -- a new process that is expected to boost chip production while reducing costs. Intel is seen as more adept at this manufacturing process.
"We think that by year-end Intel's manufacturing muscle will drive a competitive advantage over AMD, as Intel has finally fixed its design deficiencies with the introduction of the Woodcrest and Conroe processors," Richard wrote in a note.
Citigroup analyst Glen Yeung noted that although Intel has lost revenue market share to AMD over the past two years, the company could stem its losses thanks to the release of Conroe and Woodcrest.
"We conclude the anticipated introduction of Intel's new Conroe (desktop) and Woodcrest (server) processors based on NGA (Next Generation Architecture) in the third quarter is likely to ease (albeit not completely stop) the market share slide Intel has recently experienced and note that even AMD has conceded NGA will provide greater competition to their successful K8 architecture," Yeung wrote in a note to investors.
Intel shares rose 16 cents, at $19.76, in morning trading on the Nasdaq. Meanwhile, shares of Advanced Micro Devices were down 75 cents, or 2.1 percent, at $35.70. AMD shares have changed hands between $14.08 and $42.70 over the past year
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060327/intel_mover.html?.v=1
Quad cores to arrive in 1Q 2007, with Intel’s Kentsfield and AMD’s K8L
Intel has scheduled to launch its quad-core processor, codenamed “Kentsfield,” in the first quarter of 2007, according to sources at Taiwan motherboard makers. At about the same time, rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) will debut its K8L series, a quad-core upgrade of its K8 architecture, said the sources.
.
.
.
http://www.digitimes.com/mobos/a20060327A5019.html
That sounds early for K8L?? Does K8L allow AMD to catch up to Conroe?
Benq to Buy More Chips From Advanced Micro, Undermining Intel
2006-03-20 18:24 (New York)
By Young-Sam Cho and Theresa Tang
March 21 (Bloomberg) -- Benq Corp., a Taiwanese maker of
laptop computers, plans to buy more chips from Advanced Micro
Devices Inc., a move that may lead to further loss in market
share by Intel Corp. in the $32 billion processor industry.
Benq plans to put Advanced Micro chips into some of its
mass-market notebook computers that use only Intel processors,
K.Y. Lee, chairman of the Taipei-based company, said in an
interview yesterday. Lee declined to specify details. Benq
currently uses Advanced Micro chips only for computers targeted
at specific markets such as education, Benq spokeswoman Siu-Land
Yuen said.
The plan by Benq helps illustrate how Santa Clara,
California-based Intel is struggling to prevent Advanced Micro
from gaining customers. Market share losses to Advanced Micro,
the second-largest maker of computer chips, prompted Intel this
month to cut its sales projection and forecast the first decline
in more than three years.
Advanced Micro's share of the market for chips that run
personal computers rose to 21 percent in the fourth quarter, its
highest since 2002, according to Cave Creek, Arizona-based
Mercury Research. Intel dominates the rest of the market.
Dell Inc., the world's largest personal-computer maker, is
considering switching from Intel on some machines because some
of Advanced Micro's chips are better, Dell Chief Executive
Officer Kevin Rollins said earlier this month. China's Lenovo
Group Ltd., the third-biggest PC maker, on Feb. 23 said it will
run half its PCs on Sunnyvale, California-based Advanced Micro's
semiconductors.
Shares of Intel have fallen 21 percent this year, the worst
performer on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Advanced Micro's
stock has gained 12 percent.
--With reporting by Stephen Engle in Taipei. Editor: L.Lee.
Story illustration: See {INTC US <Equity> GP <GO>} for a
graph of Intel's stock price. {AMD US <Equity> CN <GO>} shows
stories on Advanced Micro. Click {2352 TT <Equity> CH1 <GO>} for
some of Benq's financial information.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Young-Sam Cho in Seoul at (82)(2)3702-1639 or
ycho2@bloomberg.net;
Theresa Tang in Taipei at (886) 7719-1534 or
ttang3@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Lena Lee at (81) (3) 3201-3623 or
llee42@bloomberg.net
[TAGINFO]
INTC US <Equity> CN
AMD US <Equity> CN
2352 TT <Equity> CN
NI COS
NI CA
NI US
NI SEM
NI CPR
NI TEC
NI ELE
NI ERN
NI TWN
NI CEO
NI WIN
NI ORDER
NI ASIA
NI ASIAX
NI CHINA
NI NORTHAM
#<227716.3721964.2005-11-10T14:40:00.25>#
-0- Mar/20/2006 23:24 GMT
This is a cross-post from AK2004@SI
Intel May See More Downside
Maya Roney, 03.20.06, 11:30 AM ET
Intel
Caris & Company research analyst Rick Whittington maintained a "below average" rating on Intel and lowered estimates for the company on fading first-quarter visibility.
"The upcoming second quarter's gas tank is being bled off and another down quarter now appears in the offing, with possibly lower still gross margins," wrote the analyst in a report Monday, adding that the fall-off in Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ) business appears to be gaining momentum as the quarter closes.
While independent sources validate building inventory of now obsolesced Prescott x86 units to increasingly noticeable channel levels, the same sources indicate minimal if any channel inventory developing over this period for Advanced Micro Devices (nyse: AMD - news - people ), Whittington noted.
"This would seem to validate an increasingly probable scenario of customers decidedly shifting brand preference to AMD," said the analyst.
Whittington reduced first-quarter estimates to earnings of 21 cents per share on revenue of $8.7 billion, from 22 cents on $8.96 billion.
http://www.forbes.com/2006/03/20/intel-amd-0320markets08.html?partner=yahootix
That would be two of the three or so candidates I predicted months ago, when we first learned of AMD's cHTT licencing plans
And Cray would be the other correct?
Industry Experts Present Solutions for Accelerated Computing at ESC West
Monday March 20, 8:15 am ET
Celoxica, AMD, and Xilinx Demonstrate Hardware Coprocessor Off-Load Through Tightly Coupled Computing Architecture
OXFORDSHIRE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 20, 2006--Celoxica (LSE:CXA - News) is joining AMD (NYSE:AMD - News) and Xilinx, Inc. to present solutions for accelerated computing at the Embedded Systems Conference in the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.
Previous attempts at off-load into parallel and programmable hardware architectures have fallen short of the mark due to technical barriers, price or lack of suitable and easy-to-use design tools for developing, testing and debugging the load image. On Wednesday, April 5, the companies will present the state-of-the-art for accelerated computing and what has changed to make hardware acceleration a commercially viable solution. Latency to the compute platform, advancements in FPGA technology and ESL design solutions will be discussed, including recent developments with the Xilinx ESL Initiative launched earlier this month.
The AMD Opteron(TM) processor with its Direct Connect Architecture, featuring an integrated memory controller and native HyperTransport(TM) technology, complemented by Xilinx Platform FPGA technology and the programming environment from Celoxica, establishes a cost-effective, accelerated-computing platform with compelling economic and technological advantages.
Jeff Jussel, vice president of worldwide marketing for Celoxica said, "To deploy high-performance accelerated computing solutions commercially you need to cover all the bases. Working with companies such as AMD and Xilinx, we have combined our system-level design environment with processor, high-speed interface and FPGA technology."
"AMD64's Direct Connect Architecture and HyperTransport(TM) technology, can provide a tightly coupled co-processor expansion capability and address the communications bottleneck that has negatively impacted compute off-load to coprocessors in other solutions," said Doug O'Flaherty, division manager for Acceleration Strategy at AMD. "Coupling this with an easy-to-use programming environment and advances in FPGA technology, practical solutions can be realized."
"The high performance computing industry is now beginning to leverage the enormous potential of Virtex-4 FPGAs as a co-processor to industry-leading general purpose processors like the AMD Opteron. Algorithms embedded in large applications can be greatly accelerated which can in turn improve the overall compute performance for systems in the scientific and medical imaging markets, as an example," said Krishna Rangasayee, senior director of Vertical Marketing and Partnerships at Xilinx. "We are looking forward to continuing our work with AMD and Celoxica to make it even easier for our joint customers to use this solution."
For more information visit: https://www.cmpevents.com/ESCw06/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=2693
About Celoxica
A leader in electronic system level design (ESL), Celoxica is enabling the next generation of advanced electronic products by producing tools, boards, IP and services that turn software into silicon. Celoxica technology raises design abstraction to the algorithm level, accelerating productivity and lowering risk and costs by generating semiconductor hardware directly from C-based software descriptions. Adding to a growing installed base, Celoxica provides the world's most widely used C-based behavioral design and synthesis solutions to companies developing semiconductor products in markets such as consumer electronics, defense and aerospace, automotive, industrial and security. Celoxica is a publicly traded company on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange under the symbol CXA. For more information, visit: www.celoxica.com
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:AMD - News) is a leading global provider of innovative microprocessor solutions for computing, communications and consumer electronics markets. Founded in 1969, AMD is dedicated to delivering superior computing solutions based on customer needs that empower users worldwide. For more information visit www.amd.com.
Celoxica and the Celoxica logo are trademarks of Celoxica Holdings plc. All other brand names and product names are the property of their respective owners
Contact:
Celoxica Ltd.
Jeff Jussel, 512-795-8170
jeff.jussel@celoxica.com
or
VitalCom Marketing & PR
Lou Covey, 650-366-8212
lou@vitalcompr.com
or
Neesham PR
Peter van der Sluijs, +44-1442-879-222
peterv@neesham.co.uk
Source: Celoxica Ltd
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060320/20060320005277.html?.v=1
Intel aims for increased market share in China
Thursday March 16, 12:55 am ET
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Intel Corp. (NasdaqNM:INTC - News), the world's biggest maker of microchips, said on Thursday it expects to gain market share in China this year, reversing a broader trend of recent declines at the hands of archival AMD (NYSE:AMD - News).
The U.S. chip giant has been steadily losing share in recent years both in China and globally to Advanced Micro Devices, which has mounted a stiff worldwide campaign, according to various independent data sources.
"We're very confident we're going to get our share back (worldwide)," Ian Yang, Intel's general manager for Asia Pacific, told Reuters in an interview. "We will do the same in China."
Intel saw its share of the China market drop to 74 percent in 2004 from 90 percent in 2001, while AMD's share has grown to 18 percent from 5 percent over the same period, according to state media.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/060316/china_intel.html?.v=1
Analyst Actions: AMD Lower in First Trades on ThinkEquity Downgrade
07:40 a.m. 03/13/2006 Provided by
Boston, Mar 13, 2006 (MidnightTrader via COMTEX) -- AMD is declined 2% at 35.80 after the stock was reportedly downgraded by Think Equity to sell from buy. The firm also reduced its price target about $20 to $30 per share. Early bids are holding a 35.80 to 35.70, an indication of a first-half premarket potential floor.
Price: 35.80, Change: -0.83, Percent Change: -2.2
Continental AG Taps a Full Range of AMD Solutions for a Competitive Edge
Friday March 10, 12:01 am ET
AMD64 Technology to Improve Continental's High-Performance Computing Cluster, Design Workstations and Desktop Systems
HANOVER, Germany and MUNICH, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 10, 2006--At CeBIT, AMD (NYSE:AMD - News) and Continental AG unveiled Continental's deployment of AMD64 technology-based servers, workstations and desktop systems from HP(1).
Continental AG is a leading supplier of automotive brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers. The company depends on a high-performance IT infrastructure to keep pace with the immense speed of innovation and high development-related demands in its competitive industry.
"Continental AG Research & Development Department began using Dual-Core AMD Opteron(TM) processors in October 2005. Since that time, our new high-performance computing cluster has achieved impressive performance," said Dr. Steffen Forster, head of IT, Research & Development Competence Center at Continental AG. "AMD has supported us by creating not only the best dual-core processor-based systems, but also delivered special codes to fine-tune our R&D applications. We now benefit from the maximum optimized performance of our cluster with no additional costs for cooling and ventilation. Thanks to AMD's native dual-core technology, we are able to complete more tasks in a far shorter time, significantly improving our profitability, our products and ultimately securing our competitive edge on the market. The only downside is that the cluster is so fast, we don't even have time for a coffee break!"
"AMD worked with Continental in a pilot project last year to set up their compute cluster with HP ProLiant server blades based on Dual-Core AMD Opteron processors," said Alberto Macchi, corporate vice president, Europe sales & marketing, AMD. "After conducting in-depth performance and benchmark tests with an array of different system configurations, they are deploying a full range of server, workstation and desktop systems to fully reap the true performance benefits and energy savings of AMD64 technology."
Continental's IT Competence Center, R&D Tire, is basing its future x86 server systems on Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor-based HP ProLiant BL25p, BL35p and BL45p server blades. Their server farm operates as a Finite Element Method (FEM) calculation computer for tire wear simulation. In addition, the Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor-based HP ProLiant server blades are helping Continental launch a global tire specification system. A significant consolidation of the terminal server environment is anticipated from the use of Dual-Core AMD Opteron processors with AMD PowerNow!(TM) technology.
AMD PowerNow! technology can reduce CPU power consumption by up to 75 percent during idle time, to help decrease the strain on datacenter cooling and ventilation systems and help minimize overall power consumption.
Continental AG's Automotive Systems Division chose to replace existing systems with Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor-based HP xw9300 Workstations. The scientists, engineers and developers' workstations offer optimized Dual PCI-Express x16 graphics and were earmarked during internal evaluations as delivering optimum performance at ultra-low noise levels and power consumption. Continental's IT decision makers also chose to equip employees with HP dx5150 desktop systems based on AMD Athlon(TM) 64 and AMD Sempron(TM) processors for enormous power savings and impressive system performance.
About Continental AG
The Continental Corporation is a leading supplier of brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers. In 2005 the corporation realized sales of EUR 13.8 billion. At present it has a worldwide workforce of 80,000.
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:AMD - News) is a leading global provider of innovative microprocessor solutions for computing, communications and consumer electronics markets. Founded in 1969, AMD is dedicated to delivering superior computing solutions based on customer needs that empower users worldwide. For more information visit www.amd.com.
AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Opteron, AMD Athlon, AMD Sempron and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
(1) HP systems require a separately purchased 64-bit operating system and 64-bit software products to take full advantage of the 64-bit processing capabilities of the Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor. Dual-core processing is a recent technology innovation designed to improve system performance. Given the wide range of software applications available, performance of a system including a 64-bit operating system, 64-bit software applications and a dual-core processor will vary.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060310/20060309006033.html?.v=1
Serious questions have to be asked about whether AMD really has got problems with its move to 65 nanometres – perhaps relying on IBM knowhow has its limitations because the whisper is that the delays are meaningful. We would have asked AMD about this, but our meeting with Chimpzilla got canned, and that happened to other individuals here too.
http://theinquirer.net/?article=30183