AMD extends Bulldozer platform to servers with Opteron 6200 and 4200

Interlagos and Valenica chips deliver new architecture

AMD has introduced an update to its server platforms which includes the chip maker's new Bulldozer architecture.

The Opteron 6200 Interlagos and 4200 Valencia processors target the enterprise server market with configurations ranging from two- to four-socket servers, and offer four-, eight- and 16-core variants.

The chips are AMD's first server processors to use the Bulldozer microarchitecture. Described by the company as a "revolutionary" update, the Bulldozer chips feature improved handling or processor cores and better allocation of power.

AMD will primarily aim the new chips at the same enterprise markets as Intel's most popular Xeon processors, and claimed that its processors offer up to 88 per cent higher performance than current Intel chips.

Pat Patla, AMD vice president and general manager for servers and embedded business, told V3 that the company is looking to top Intel in performance while maintaining a price advantage and growing its market share.

AMD also touts the chips' improved density and capacity. A single rack running the new Opteron chips could support as many as 672 virtual machine instances, which would require three rack units of Intel servers, according to AMD.

"It is not an entry-level price or a bait and switch, it is really over the entire stack that you are going to see this performance. We think it is very linear from the entry-level price through to the high end," Patla said.

AMD is currently shipping the Opteron 4200 and 6200. The company said that major vendors such as Microsoft, Red Hat and VMware support Bulldozer, but some in-house applications will need to be recompiled to take full advantage of the new architecture.