Advanced Micro Devices, Intel"s main rival in the PC processor business, is expected to announce today that it has gained crucial support from Microsoft for AMD"s next-generation chip family, code-named Hammer.
The development comes on the heels of testimony last week by AMD"s feisty chief executive, Jerry Sanders, on behalf of Microsoft during its antitrust remedy trial, at the behest of Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.
AMD is also expected to unveil the brand name of its new chip line, which will mark the Sunnyvale company"s entry into the more powerful realm of 64-bit computing and its attempt to compete with Intel in the high-end desktop and server market.
Intel has already launched the first versions of its Itanium chip family for very powerful servers, and Microsoft is developing a version of Windows XP that runs on Itanium. Currently, the 64-bit version of Windows is a limited edition.
AMD is hosting a conference call today after the stock market closes to make two significant announcements, a spokeswoman said, declining to provide further details. But a source close to the company said that AMD will announce Microsoft"s support with a 64-bit version of Windows that will run on AMD"s Hammer chip line. The first chips in the Hammer family, code-named ClawHammer, are due at the end of the year, for the desktop market.