AMD launches new six core processor

AMD has today launched its six-core Opteron processor, codenamed 'Istanbul'.

The processor is aimed at the two, four and eight socket spaces and all the new features and enhancements would be available across the board.

The CPU are connected via AMD's Direct Connect Architecture (DCA) although the company confirmed it would be releasing a new generation of DCA, 2.0, in 2010.

Pat Patla, vice president of AMD's Server/Workstation Division, said: "With AMD-V (virtualisation suite) and AMD-P (power suite) you will get this technology across the entire processor family."

"Intel make you call out which you want to implement. Our approach is no compromise."

As well as the two suites, AMD offers a new feature called HT Assist. This feature reduces probe filter traffic without broadcast requests, meaning the processor knows exactly which CPU to go get information from speeding data access times.

Patla claimed: "This feature gives up to 60 per cent more stream memory bandwidth."

Another push for the company was efficiency and saving money through power efficiency. In a comparison with 314 of its single core processor based servers from 2003, you would need only 21 six cores to achieve similar performance, saving up to 95 per cent in energy costs.

However, AMD also claimed that if you wanted to up the performance by 14 times by using the same amount of servers, the six core based products would still save up to 30 per cent in energy costs each year.

The products are shipping from today.

During the announcement, HP revealed it will be releasing a line of G6 Proliant Servers using the AMD processor, following the initial launch of its next generation server line back in march using Intel's Nehalem architecture with the Xeon 5500.

Paul Gottsegen, vice president of HP Global Outbound ESS Marketing, said: "There is a 30-year partnership between HP and AMD. Opteron was a big one for us as we were the first to take it mainstream."

"It has been amazing, coming off the heels of Shanghai. Landing your first silicon like this is in golf like hitting a hole in one. The six core will be available across the Proliant line."