AMD to debut Dual Processors
  04/20/2001 11:03:16 PM MDT Albuquerque, Nm
  By Dustin D. Brand; Owner AMO

In an attempt to compete with Intel, AMD is going to debut Dual Processor systems.   AMD has long been a strong competitor to Intel, offering high-quality CPU's at a fraction of the cost of Intel's. Now AMD is set to compete directly with Intel's Dual Processor version of the Pentium 4/XEON hybrid chip, code named FOSTER.

  Advanced Micro Devices plans to ship a dual-processor Athlon chip sometime before the end of the year, according to sources familiar with the company's plans.

  The new dual-processor Athlon will use DDR (double data rate) memory, AMD's 760 MP chip set, debut at speeds well past 1GHz, and intentionally undercut Intel's Foster pricing, sources said.

  Intel's Foster, will debut at 1.4GHz and operate with Rambus memory, according to Intel officials. Pricing for Foster, which undergoes its first public demonstration next week, has not yet been revealed.

  Intel recently announced it would push its Pentium 4 chips for single-processor devices such as PCs, while the dual-processing needs of workstations and servers will be met by Foster.

  Prior to Intel's decision, users routinely used less expensive Pentium III chips in multiprocessor devices instead of pricier Xeon chips, said Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight 64, an industry think tank in Saratoga, Calif.

  AMD clearly plans to play on this decision of Intel by introducing it's own low-cost/high-speed parallel processing system, a first for AMD.

  AMD is also using a different architecture for their chipset, giving each CPU it's own direct path to the dual processor chipset. This could mean an advantage, but Intel is sure to meet with their own, like their NetBurst, or something new and still secret.

  Intel has clearly been the dominant leader in dual-processor systems, and has even out matched Sun Microsystems in a market they once dominated. For AMD however, this will be all new territory, but Intel certainly doesn't need their added competition and will surely attempt to match their prices somewhat considering all their recent moves in dropping Chip Prices.

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