Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[chipguy]

Sgolds, everyone releases a processor at the top speed as soon as it's available and tested.
Then, as speed path optimizations and process improvements allow, that speed can be increased
incrementally over time. If 2.5GHz samples are already available without special means, then I see
no reason why they won't launch at this speed. There is absolutely no reason for AMD to hold back
at this point. They absolutely need Opteron at its top speed to compete in this market.

I am surprised to hear this from you. You know as well as I do that major step discontinuities in
performance vs time is hugely disruptive to sales, manufacturing, product positioning etc. The
principle that a new product is held back early in its life cycle to allow smooth and predictable
"upgrades" and "mid-life kickers" later in its life cycle has been a critical principle in the computer
industry long before ICs.

If uPs were released at their maximum potential we would have a situation where the performance
of any vendor's product line would look like a staircase with sloped landings. Each process shrink
would produce a huge step jump while design and process improvements would produce a much
gentler slope until the next shrink. Can you imagine the disruptions and wild swings this would
cause to customer buying cycles, manufacturing process transitions, vendor revenues?

That being said I don't buy the Opteron is now running at 2.5 GHz rumors. It may or may not approach
2.5 GHz at the end of its lifetime in 130 nm but that is irrelevent for the launch and ramp over the next
few quarters.