Advanced Micro Devices on Monday rallied a new phalanx of Opteron processors for servers, on the same day that rival Intel also unveiled a battery of server chips. The chipmaker introduced the Opteron 800 and Opteron 100, the two latest versions of its 64-bit Opteron processor for servers. AMD created the 800 line for four-processor or eight-processor servers and the 100 line for single-processor servers.
AMD wants to use Opteron to gain acceptance in the business market by helping to lower the price of 64-bit servers. A 64-bit server"s inherent capabilities, such as handling more RAM, should boost performance in some settings when measured against current 32-bit servers. The company plans to pay particularly close attention to making a mark with four-processor servers based on the Opteron 800, its executives have said.
"We"re going to play a role in establishing a new price point in four-way servers. Right now there is a lot of distance between two-way and eight-way servers. AMD is going to create a new price performance category in the four-way space," Rob Herb, AMD"s chief of sales and marketing, said in an interview with CNET News.com at the Opteron launch event in April.