AMD Opteron

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optimus, Microsoft, Intel, Itanium processor, Windows Server 2003, x86 processors, SuSE, Red Hat, Parametric superiority

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Opteron Contd...

Though Opteron was designed for high-end servers, it could also run like 32-bit (Pentium and Athlon) processors in most PCs. Opteron could run 32-bit Windows and Linux software, as well as future 64-bit code. A PC version of Opteron was also expected to be available unlike Intel's Itanium 2. Opterons were priced from $283 to $794, while prices of Itanium 2 processors ranged from $1,338 to $4,226.

Opteron's design made it fully backward compatible with existing 32-bit applications. That differentiated it from Itanium 2, which used a different architecture. AMD believed that this crucial difference gave Opteron an edge over Itanium 2.

AMD was reported saying¹³ : You, as a technology provider, are an absolute fool to turn your back on the world's largest software installed base. That is exactly what the Itanium processor has done, and [that chip's tepid] customer acceptance and adoption speaks volumes ... it has been awful. The Opteron solution embraces the customers' investments in existing software.

By offering both 64-bit and 32-bit operation with the same chip, AMD believed that Opteron systems would be the perfect upgrades for aging servers that used Intel's Pentium and Xeon processors. AMD had also plans to bring out a 64-bit processor for home computers in 2003. The Athlon 64, due for release in September 2003, would be the first such chip aimed at the consumer market. In early 2003, there were no 64-bit applications for consumers, but AMD believed that once Athlon 64 machines were available, multimedia and game software companies would create programs to take advantage of their power. AMD had other reasons for optimism. Microsoft had committed itself to making a version of its Windows Server and Windows XP desktop software for the new AMD chips, though the software giant had not indicated a release date.

Microsoft believed that many of its customers were very interested in the AMD implementation. When Microsoft ran applications written for 32-bit chips on an Opteron server loaded with the new Windows 64-bit operating system, the programs performed considerably better than on 32-bit Windows. Microsoft was not willing to place all its bets just on Itanium 2. Besides, AMD had been much faster in launching the consumer version of Opteron chips than Intel. The leading Linux software-maker, Red Hat offered Linux for the Opteron. IBM offered a compatible version of its heavy-duty DB2 database software. Some IBM customers were already using the technology, in beta [test] form, and they were planning the chip for deployment by early 2003. However, till late 2002 the top-tier PC makers, such as Dell and HP had not announced plans to build Opteron-based machines. Intel believed that it had a significant competitive advantage due to its longstanding relationships with software and hardware-makers.

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13] AMD Opteron, The Road Ahead, CPU Planet, April 23, 2003.