AMD unveils new dual-core Opteron chips

AMD's release puts pressure on rival chip firm Intel

Server chip specialist AMD has announced three new dual-core Opteron processors designed to use less power and support faster memory.

The news puts pressure on rival chip maker Intel, which has been losing market share to AMD's Opteron chips over the past two years because the Opteron runs faster and uses less power than Intel's Xeon server chips, according to experts.
Analyst company IDC said the Opteron has increased its share of the mainstream x86 server market over the last year, and is particularly popular in blade servers because of its high performance and low power consumption. The processor is used by Sun Microsystems in its x86-based server systems. Sun says energy-efficiency is a top priority for its customers.

AMD has also enjoyed something of a technology lead over its rival, by shipping 64bit support and then dual-core server chips long before Intel. Each core in the new AMD dual-core chips can communicate with its counterpart at extremely high speed over a dedicated link, while many of Intel's current dual-core chips communicate using the front side bus, which runs slower and is shared with other roles.

AMD's Model 885 is designed for datacentre-class servers with up to 16 cores, while the Model 285 is designed for high-performance four-core workstations and servers. Both processors are available now.

AMD said it will deliver its third new processor, the Model 185, designed for two-core systems, within 30 days.

The company is expected to announce quad-core Opteron processors next year.