wbmw,
It's not been proven either way, or do you happen to have sales numbers of DC Opteron and X2 at this point?
No, but it is available, and if you want the best processor for multitasking environment, you have to go to AMD, and they will sell it to you.
Make sure you realize that I never claimed it would be zero volume; in fact, I estimated in a previous post that it might be in the area of 30k parts this quarter for the entire X2 line. Probably no more than 100k parts (server + desktop) per quarter for the next several quarters.
Those are not that unreasonable, although you may be on the low side for Q4, but your earlier predictions were much more pessimistic, especially for the desktop processors. (my paid subscription expired recently, so I probably can't search for your earlier predictions).
The number of quad core parts next year would be substantially smaller until fab36 has ramped to sufficiently (which I don't expect until late next year).
I am not sure why you keep coming back to volume. Quad core processor (especially) in 2006 would obviously be a very low volume product. 4 way single core market is low volume today, 4xDC is even smaller. So comparatively, 2xQC or 4xQC is a tiny portion of the market. AMD can satisfy the volume of 100% of the market without breaking any sweat when they have a product on the market.
When it becomes a volume, rather than premium processor, say in 2007, it will enter mainstrean pricing. At that point, the market for systems with >2 and >4 sockets is going to shrink rapidly.
If AMD did the unthinkable and pushed out a quad core in H2 2006, what's stopping Intel from doing to Merom what it did with Prescott and put 2 dual cores in a package?
Perception that they ar releasing another donkey? That Intel is still behind? Let's just wait and see if Intel has a Merom derivative for server market for sale in DC form in 2006, before we speculate about 2xDC in an MCM package.
It's maybe not the best solution, but it would compete with AMD's miniscule volumes.
Maybe you can explain what exactly you mean by these miniscule volumes. I must be missing something important you are trying to say.
Joe
Market Data 
Markets 
AI
