AMD:
Intel:
45nm die
Intel Yorkfield Chip Delay Due To Board Issues: Report
Intel may delay the rollout of quad-core Yorkfield non-Extreme processors because of motherboard issues, according to a report at PC Watch (X-bit Labs also cited the report). An Intel spokesperson responded this way: "All we are saying is Q1 for now, with more exact details at CES [Consumer Electronics Show]." that Intel is delaying its Yorkfield non-Extreme processors strictly because, some theories go, competition from AMD has dwindled--due to quad-core Phenom and Barcelona delays--to the point that Intel saw no compelling reason to bring out new desktop processors. Actually, there appears to be a more practical reason behind the delay of the Q9550, Q9450, Q9300 45-nanometer quad-core processors. Sources at Taiwan motherboard manufacturers are citing problems with the front-side bus (FSB) on certain boards that would use the Yorkfield non-Extreme processors. More specifically, mass-market four-layer boards, such as some P35-based boards, may have "noise" and stability issues, according to PC Watch which cited Taiwan motherboard vendors. High-end, six-layer boards, such as those that use the X38 chipset, do not appear to have any FSB issues, according to the report. Consequently, high-end (six-layer) boards based on Intel's Extreme QX9650 do not have the issue, but lower-end boards using upcoming Yorkfield non-Extreme chips could potentially have issues. Apparently, Harpertown and dual-core Wolfdale boards do not have issues. Finally, what rumors and reports seem to be missing is that Intel is not necessarily intentionally delaying these processors because it believes that AMD is not competitive. The more plausible reason is that Intel believes that it has breathing room to fix the issue because of the AMD Barcelona and Phenom delays. The Intel fix may take one to two months, according to reports.
* Pricing is speculative; dates not officially confirmed
Processor / Speed / Cache / Front-side bus / Watt / Price / Comments
Core 2 Duo Processor ("Wolfdale") Due January 20thE8190 2.66 GHz 6MB 1333 MHz 65W $163
E8200 2.66 GHz 6MB 1333 MHz 65W $163
E8300 2.83 GHz 6MB 1333 MHz 65W $000
E8400 3.00 GHz 6MB 1333 MHz 65W $183
E8500 3.16 GHz 6MB 1333 MHz 65W $265
Celeron Dual-Core (65nm "Conroe")
E1200 1.60 GHz 512KB 800 MHz 65W $---
Core 2 Quad ("Yorkfield" Non-Extreme)
Q9300 2.50 GHz 06MB 1333 MHz 95W $265 Possibly delayed *
Q9450 2.67 GHz 12MB 1333 MHz 95W $315 Possibly delayed *
Q9550 2.83 GHz 12MB 1333 MHz 95W $530 Possibly delayed *
* PC Watch reporting that delays are due to motherboard incompatibility, though processors will still launch within Q1
Core 2 Quad ("Yorkfield" Extreme)
QX9770 3.20 GHz 12MB 1600 MHz 135W $1398
QX9775 3.20 GHz 12MB 1600 MHz 150W $1498
Core 2 Mobile ("Penryn") Due January 6th
T8100 2.10 GHz 3MB 800 MHz 35W $209
T8300 2.40 GHz 3MB 800 MHz 35W $241
T9300 2.50 GHz 6MB 800 MHz 35W $316
T9500 2.60 GHz 6MB 800 MHz 35W $530
X9000 2.80 GHz 6MB 800 MHz 35W $851
(12/22/07)
The Phenom 9900 Brings Good Tidings For AMD
In the wake of a spate of negative quad-core news, two things have emerged in AMD's favor. One, the TLB (Translation Lookaside Buffer) bug is obscure, meaning it has very limited real-world impact. Two, the preliminary testing of the upcoming Phenom 9900 (2.6 GHz) is promising, according to . If AMD can ramp production early next year and get large computer vendors like Dell and Hewlett-Packard on board with new PCs, there will likely be plenty of consumers interested in Phenom-based systems. The reviewer at Neoseeker was "pleased with the performance" and stated: "looking at the benchmarks, it did not seem like the Phenom 9900 was that far behind - if it was in fact behind [the competition]." In standard benchmarks, the 9900 kept pace with the Intel QX6700 (2.66 GHz) and bested it in some cases, though in a few game-based benchmarks it came up short. The review also successfully overclocked the processor to 3.0 GHz. A Japanese-language publication, PC Watch, also gave the 9900 a favorable review (a "significant increase" in performance) though it did take issue with the chip's Thermal Design Power (TDP, i.e., thermal envelope), saying that the TDP is a big jump up from the 9500 and 9600 models. Overall, the Phenom 9900 bodes well for AMD at the high end. (12/21/07)
Intel "Lorado" Laptop Vies With Dell, Apple
Intel's ultrathin Lorado notebook concept is a , vying with the best designs from Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and Toshiba. The problem is: Intel doesn't manufacture laptops. Maybe it should. (Though Intel is arguably three quarters--or more--of the way there already because it makes most of the core components.) Riveting notebook designs are hard to come by. Thus the Apple envy that exists for some users forced to use prosaic Windows-based business notebooks. Lorado is a mere 0.7 inches thick and a little more than two pounds. Rivaling the lightest designs from Japanese companies such as Toshiba and Sony. "If this Lorado laptop comes to fruition it will be the thinnest ultraportable ever [in the Santa Rosa platform]," according to Laptop Magazine, which bestowed its "Mobile Innovation Awards 2007" on the design. And the Santa Rosa refresh is coming--with 45-nanometer processors tailor made for thin designs. Presumably, Intel will also refresh the ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) line of processors soon after it rolls out mainstream "Penryn" mobile processors on January 6th. Lorado also features a portfolio attachment that can be used with an and a charging pad for a cell phone.
(12/20/07)
Ultralight Flash-Drive Notebook PCs Now Front And Center
Intel- and AMD-based ultralight notebooks using solid state drives (SSD) are appearing at both ends of the pricing spectrum, making hard drive-less laptops a real alternative for the first time. Though the death of the hard drive has been proclaimed many times in the past, this time there's no sandwich-board the-end-is-near hype. Just a practical marketing decision by notebook makers to offer flash drives as a viable option--not necessarily a replacement--for the hard drive. On Monday, Toshiba announced (in Japan) a sub-two-pound Dynabook notebook that uses a 64GB SSD drive, comparable in capacity to the 80GB hard drive that comes in other ultralight notebooks. The RX1/T9E is built around an Intel U7600 ultra-low-voltage 1.2 GHz processor and based on a 12-inch display form factor. Sony also offers an utlralight notebook similar in size, the Vaio TZ191N, with a 32GB SSD and an 11.1-inch display. And the flash drive makes a difference: "I expected cooler and quieter operation, long battery life and faster performance. I got it all," said one . But there's also a gotcha. The DynaBook is priced at over $3,500 and the Sony notebook at well over $2,500. Want to spend $2,000 to $3,000 less? Look at the crop of low-cost notebooks based on SSD storage--albeit with much lower capacities. The ultrasmall Asus Eee PC is available for under $500 with an 8GB drive and the AMD-based OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) XO PC offers a 1GB flash for even less money. --Brooke Crothers
(12/18/07)
Ruiz at the New York Stock Exchange last week
AMD CEO Ruiz Is Ticked Off...Here's Why
CEO Hector Ruiz put up a vigorous defense of his company last week on Wall Street.
With few high-profile boosters of AMD, Ruiz was left to articulate why the chipmaker is doing better than Wall Street thinks it is. In his closing remarks, Ruiz expressed anger and puzzlement about the company's stock decline. "At the risk of sounding really ticked off, which I am...How in the hell could anyone conclude that our company is worth 40 percent less today than it was just a few weeks ago?" he asked after praising the "cadre of talented executives" and talking about the "progress that we've made." He went on to describe why the company has an "exciting future" ahead of it. First, he addressed AMD's recovery of lost market share in the channel. "We fixed it...Record unit shipments in the third quarter...We stabilized the channel...and we're on the way to record shipments in the fourth quarter." He then waxed eloquent about the success AMD has had with Toshiba. "Very rapidly we went from being strictly a consumer play with Toshiba [to] having commercial SKUs in the marketplace. One of the most successful customer expansions we've ever done." Speaking more generally about financials, he said: "We have seen a modest increase in ASPs [average selling prices]. We have improved our gross margins from 30 percent early in the year to 41 percent in the third quarter. We have improved our operating loss from 400 million in Q1 to one that we believe this quarter will approach break even." Finally, he talked about the strength of the ATI 3800 graphics processors.
"AMD will able to claim three firsts: the first DX-[Direct-X] 10.1, the first to 55 nanometer, the first with four-way GPU performance in Vista." Meanwhile, analysts continue to issue downbeat assessments of the company. Citi analyst Glen Yeung said Monday that the company's estimates were "overly optimistic" and built on "unrealistic assumptions."
(12/17/07)
Intel To Announce New Mobile "Penryn" Chips At CES
Intel will roll out new 45-nanometer mobile "Penryn" processors at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, according to sources close to the company. Intel's "Santa Rosa refresh" will bring 45-nanometer Penryn processors to the notebook PC market for the first time. Penryn is the new 45nm core used in Intel's recently-released Xeon processors. Though sources will not confirm model names and specifications, it has been widely reported already that Penryn-class mobile chips will integrate 6MB of cache memory--topping the 4MB used in today's top-line mobile processors. Lower-end models will use 3MB of memory. The new model nomenclature will include a high-end X9000, a T9500 below that, then 9300, 8300, and 8100. Processors are expected to run the current gamut of speeds: from 2.0 to 2.8 GHz. Prices will range from $214 to $851. This will spell the end of Intel's Merom core shipping in Core-2-Duo-based notebooks today. The Penryn core is arguably tailor-made for the mobile space because of its improved thermal envelope. runs from January 7th to the 10th.
(12/17/07)
(click image to expand)
Lenovo, Asus Among 2008 Ultra-Mobile Vendors: Intel
Intel's Pre-CES (Consumer Electronics Show) update includes a fairly long list of vendors and system builders slated to participate in the 2008 Mobile Internet Device (MID) platform, including Asus, BenQ, Compal, Lenovo, and Quanta. The question is, will these companies be able to sell components or computers in significant volume? Upcoming "Menlow" MIDs based on the Silverthorne CPU and Poulsbo chipset sound compelling: essentially a device with all the functionality of a PC (plus WiMax) that fits in your pocket. But the 2007 Intel ultra-mobile platform has not fared well compared to analogous products like Apple's iPhone (which uses an ARM chip) or the Sony PlayStation Portable (MIPS processor). There needs to be an iPhone-like icon appeal or a compelling value incentive to generate widespread interest in the platform. So far, the ultra-compact, ultra-cheap (under $400) Asus Eee PC is the closest thing to a hit product. Other Intel-based ultra-mobile products like tiny subnotebooks or the are too pricey (over $1000) for the average user and therefore don't have mass appeal. Which is why the Diamondville platform, also due next year, may prove to be more compelling because it is targeted at cheap, highly-mobile PCs like the Eee PC and OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) XO PC. In related news, Intel was also previewing its WiMax products. The Echo Peak combo module will integrate WiMax and Wi-Fi as part of the MID and Montevina platforms for ultra-mobile devices and notebooks respectively. Baxter Peak is a simple two-chip WiMax solution, while Dana Point is a WiMax add-in card.
(12/16/07)
AMD executve vice president, Mario Rivas
Barcelona, Phenom Speed Targets Pushed Back By AMD
On Wall Street Thursday AMD executives tried to dispel any doubts about the quad-core Barcelona and Phenom processors. Executive vice president Mario Rivas apologized profusely about the delays and, along with other executives, said "this will never happen again" more than a few times. But when pressed by an analyst about when exactly faster Barcelona parts (i.e., 2.5 GHz) would be available, there was a pause, then Rivas offered early Q2 in the "April-May timeframe." Rivas also seemed to imply that ramping production of quad-core processors was not a given. "Our No.1 goal is to get to ramp as soon as possible." Which of course means anything could happen. Rivas did say that "hundreds of thousands" of quad-core processors will ship in Q4 and "that would definitely have an increment that is at least 2X in Q1." Then added: "We have customers that have patches, workarounds that do not affect performance even with the errata." Which could be interpreted as reassuring--or not reassuring, depending on which customer you're talking to. Usually, questioning about production is not pursued so doggedly by analysts (and journalists)--because all chipmakers, including Intel, invariably run into production problems--but AMD's bluff and bluster in the past has sown the current pessimism. Though not related directly to quad-core production, there were other troubling signs. One was the silence on Bulldozer that had been touted heavily at the last analyst meeting as "designed to be the highest performing single and multi-threaded compute core in history."
(12/14/07)
Dirk Meyer, chief operating officer and president
AMD Addresses Problems, Talks Roadmaps
AMD addressed quad-core delivery problems related to the bug in its Barcelona and Phenom processors and gave further details on 2008-2009 roadmaps including a highly-integrated design to be used in its new "Swift" technology at the Financial Analyst Day on Wall Street on Thursday.
OPENING COMMENTS (from President and COO Dirk Meyer, with additional comments from Mario Rivas, executive vice president).
Barcelona/Phenom bug: "We've done one thing very poorly, Namely, We haven't delivered our quad-core products consistent with our plan. Last month in the final stages of validation we uncovered a design error...which is sensitized under very obscure operating conditions...We've implemented the fix...The manufacturing lines are running again but we have delayed general availability of our Barcelona server product until next quarter. Today we're shipping Barcelona into large cluster installations where we can be sure that the error won't be sensitized. We're also shipping mainstream quad-core Phenom products with a BIOS workaround. However, we've delayed availability of our top-shelf Phenom FX product until Q1 as well. So, we'll make good on our promise to ship hundreds of thousands of quad-core products in the current quarter but clearly that doesn't satisfy our customers. Are we disappointed? You bet. (Meyer)
Highest-Performing CPUs Not Necessary For Success: "We operate in an environment where many people feel that AMD needs to have the highest performance CPU component in order to be successful. And I'll tell you that perception is false." He talked about areas where AMD has been successful. "Increased CPU ASPs, increased our gross margins, and improved our operating margins. How have we made all this progress without the benefit of having a quad-core product in the market? The prevailing wisdom is wrong. The lion's share of the market opportunity isn't looking for the highest-performance CPU. They're looking for value, energy efficiency, a great visual performance, and affordable internet connectivity." (Meyer)
Quad-Core Ramp Delayed Until 2008: volume production of quad-core processors won't happen until 2008: "Our No.1 goal is to accelerate the volume ramp in Q1 2008 and to continue to ramp the entire year of 2008. Our No.1 goal is to get to ramp as soon as possible." (Rivas)
Barcelona Clock Speed/Production: 2.5 GHz won't be achieved until early Q2, April-May timeframe.
CEO Hector Ruiz talked about the potential of increasing manufacturing at partner Chartered Semiconductor to free up more quad-core production at Dresden: "At some point in the future we could make the decision to significantly increase our capability if we so choose to." And Ruiz addressed what products Chartered may make more of: "We can take a look at the dual-core and other products into Chartered and open up more [quad core] capability in Fab 36 (Dresden)."
ROADMAP HIGHLIGHTS: (for prior announcements, refer to previous roadmap.)
Cartwheel: next-generation mainstream consumer platform that will launch in Q1 of 2008. New AMD 780 chipset (multi-monitor CrossFireX, PCI Express 2.0), and quad- and triple-core products. Integrated DX10 graphics. Refresh (2009): DDR3, 45nm CPUs.
APU: "Fusion" Becomes "Swift": "the birth of a new product category"...Accelerated Processing Unit combines CPU, GPU, and chipsets. "The integration of all these parts creates the APU unit...The first APU platform is code-named 'Swift' (Swift is not as ambitious as the previously-proposed integrated platform called Fusion)...A CPU core [and] a graphics core based on existing high-end discrete graphics core...This will be our second 45nm product so the maturity of the process will be proven...Done on the current SOI (Silicon-On-Insulator)...And leverages the north bridge that is presently found in Griffin, the CPU of the Puma platform."
Puma/Shrike (Notebook); Notebook segment: Puma (RS780M) will be delayed until the second quarter of 2008. Puma to be succeeded by Shrike in 2009. Shrike first platform based on Swift integrated APU, 45nm, 1 GPU core, DDR3.
Spider/Leo (High-End Desktop): high-end PC gamers. ATI Radeon 3800 graphics. AMD 790 chipset. The first platform to deliver the fruits of the ATI integration. Succeeded by Leo, late 2008. Leo includes: 45nm, 790FX, 790, 770 chipsets, R6XX graphics, ATI CrossFireX with RD790. Then Leo refresh (2009): RD8XX chipset, AM3 motherboards.
Kodiak: Perseus commercial desktop platform to be succeeded by Kodiak (late 2009). Kodiak includes: RS780 chipset, optional R7XX hybrid graphics, AM3 socket, quad and triple core, 45nm.
Montreal (8-Core Server): server/workstation, succeeds 45nm quad-core Shanghai. Montreal (2009) 45nm, G3 socket, 4x HyperTransport, 1MB L2, 6-12MB L3, DDR3, 890 chipset, octo- and quad-core.
New GPU platforms: Crossfire (multi-GPU technology) technology in Q1 will get drivers for 3 and 4 GPUs. R680 graphics: early in 2008, dual 3800 GPUs in a single board. RV620 (value segment), RV635 (mainstream). Introduce in January. Both are 55nm and both are shipping with first silicon. New notebook graphics: M8X code name: will introduce in Q1...55nm process, hybrid graphics for low end, PowerXpress for mid-range, and CrossFire for enthusiast notebook gaming.
Other graphics highlights: AMD will have direct support for DirectX 10.1 which will ship with Windows Vista SP1 (Service Pack): improved lighting and anti-aliasing (improves stair-stepping effect on angled lines).
Whither Bulldozer??: No mention of "Bulldozer" that was "designed to be the highest performing single and multi-threaded compute core in history," according to AMD's previous roadmap.
(12/13/07)
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45nm cell
AMD Expected To Discuss 45nm Chips Thursday
While AMD struggles with 65-nanometer production in the present, the company will likely discuss a brighter 45nm future at a financial analyst meeting in New York Thursday. AMD executives are already on the record saying the ramp of 45nm production will begin in the first half of 2008, followed by shipments in the second half. During the company's third-quarter earnings conference call, AMD's President Dirk Meyer said: "We're building 45 nanometer microprocessors as we speak...[and will] be starting our production ramp of 45 nanometer processors in the first half of next year." And statements have gotten bolder since then indicating that AMD may be further along in development than previously thought. In a recent interview with CRN, AMD executive Mario Rivas said that AMD will have initial "Rev C" samples in January that may be bootable. (Shanghai is the code name for the 45nm part.) say that AMD is considering process technology options for 45nm too. An important one being whether to include high-k/ metal gate technology--as Intel does in the 45nm Xeon processors it is shipping now. At the International Electron Devices Meeting in Washington D.C. this week, AMD announced, along with production partner IBM, that it will include high-k/metal gate technology in the 32nm generation of processors. Questions will almost certainly come up about the bug affecting the quad-core Opteron and Phenom processors. For instance, if AMD has any insight into whether first-tier computer vendors will ship Phenom PCs next year with the current B2 stepping of the processor or wait for the fixed B3 stepping. On the financial front, AMD said Wednesday in a SEC filing that it had paid too much when it acquired ATI for $5.6 billion last year and will have to write down the so-called goodwill estimate. "The Company expects that the impairment charge will be material," AMD said in the filing but did not state the amount, to be determined later. (12/12/07)
BUG FIX
Misinformation Sows Confusion On Phenom Processor Bug
Misinformation is exacerbating the AMD Phenom processor bug problem. AMD is now refuting a statement reportedly made by an AMD executive in a recent interview. The AMD executive, Mario Rivas, was reported to have said that Phenom processors "account" for the performance degradation that occurs when the BIOS fix is implemented. The implication being that processors actually run faster than the rated speeds to compensate for the performance hit. Statements made by the executive were either inaccurate or misinterpreted, according to an AMD spokesperson on Tuesday. The statement in question was: "processors are listed at clock speeds that account for the degradation [estimated at 5 to 20 percent] from the BIOS fix." AMD is now saying this is inaccurate. "There was a disconnect in the interview. That statement is not accurate. All Phenoms are being shipped with the BIOS fix...but they're still rated for that particular clock speed that they're running at." This is an important issue for potential consumers because a number of system builders are now offering PCs with the Phenom processor. has tested chips with the BIOS workaround active and cited speed degradation. As reported already, AMD has stated that there are two fixes. One (stated above) is BIOS-related and impacts performance, the other is operating system-related and does not have an appreciable impact on performance. AMD will implement a permanent fix for the problem via a B3 stepping of the processor. The upcoming Phenom 9700 (2.4 GHz) and the 9900 (2.6 GHz) will include the fix and AMD will replace the current Phenom 9500 and 9600 with new 9550 and 9650 models, based on the B3 stepping, according to reports. The AMD executive quoted in the interview also addressed the quad-core "Barcelona" Opteron. Samples of design-corrected Opterons will be available in January while volume shipments will take place later in the quarter, according to the CRN report.
Note: The inaccurate statement has been removed from the original CRN article as of 12/11. The original full statement was: "Both the Opteron and the desktop Phenom chips suffer 5 to 20 percent performance hits as a result of the BIOS fix. But Rivas clarified a point about the quad-core Phenoms, which were launched in November and have been shipped with the workaround in place at the ramp-up AMD planned. Those processors are listed at clock speeds that account for the degradation from the BIOS fix, he said, explaining why the first available Phenoms have listed speeds and prices below those AMD initially projected for fourth-quarter shipments."
(12/12/07)
iBuypower tower
Some Vendors Ship Phenom Systems, Dell Waits On Barcelona
Some system builders are selling AMD quad-core Phenom-based systems despite a widely-reported bug. Medford, Oregon-based sells systems using the chip, though a representative contacted Monday said there have been few orders because of, in his opinion, "lackluster review scores." A representative at , on the other hand, said that Phenom-based systems "have tested well." The Monterey Park, CA system builder is selling systems with both the Phenom 9500 (2.2 GHz) and 9600 (2.3 GHz). iBuypower sells systems directly and through Wal-Mart and Costco. Richmond, VA-based Velocity Micro also has configurations available with the Phenom processor. For example, its Velocity Raptor 64 DualX Custom Gaming PC comes with an Asus M3A32-MVP motherboard that integrates an AMD 790FX chipset, a Phenom 9600 2.3-GHz processor, and an AMD-ATI 256MB Radeon HD 3850 video card. First-tier PC vendors such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard are not offering Phenom-based systems yet. In related news, a Dell server representative said Monday that as soon as AMD comes out with the quad-core "Barcelona" Opteron they will have systems but "it keeps getting pushed back."
(12/10/07)
Silverthorne Processor Samples Out: Intel
The Silverthorne processor is "out and sampled. And comes out in the second quarter of '08 into production," said Brian Krzanich,
Vice President & General Manager, Manufacturing & Operations at Intel, speaking at a Lehman Brothers conference. He described Silverthorne as a "low-power IA [Intel Architecture] product for the mobile internet device product line." Intel has also stated recently that the 2008 Diamondville ultra-low-cost processor is based on the Silverthorne core. Krzanich also said that all of the 45-nanometer Penryn processors due in the first quarter of 2008--including the first 45nm mobile processors--are "in the factories now....We're building that volume and lighting up the products." Krzanich also made it clear that Intel's manufacturing philosophy differs from AMD's. (Though there was no specific reference to AMD.) He said Intel always makes sure it is ready to do a launch "in a reputable way...We don't launch without a production-worthy volume." AMD has had trouble this year manufacturing promised products. Krzanich also spoke about 32nm production--the follow-on to 45nm process technology that Intel is using now for its newest Xeon processors. A 32nm SRAM (static random access memory) chip has already been fabricated, he said. Intel will spend a "year or so, a year and a half refining [32nm] and getting ready for production." The company will switch to at 32nm on a "couple of critical layers," according to Krzanich. The more traditional dry lithography will still be used on less critical layers, he said. (12/10/07)
Falcon Northwest Tower System
AMD Phenom Systems Also In Doubt
COMMENTARY: Consumer and business desktop vendors slated to use AMD’s Phenom quad-core processor may be hit with the same delays facing server suppliers. Sales representatives at Hewlett-Packard (HP) and IBM have already stopped giving ETAs for servers that were set to use the quad-core Opteron in the wake of processor bug reports. There is good reason to believe that a similar fate awaits Phenom-based desktop systems supplied by first-tier vendors. One early sign of trouble came at the November 19th Phenom launch when first-tier system-vendor support was conspicuously absent, in contrast to the quad-core Opteron rollout on September 10th when major vendors almost tripped over each other to offer support. But a week after the Phenom launch AMD followed up with a statement implying that Phenom-system rollouts would happen soon: "In Q4, we’ll have [Phenom] systems from system builder partners such as Velocity Micro, iBuypower, Cyberpower, Falcon Northwest and more" and "we anticipate major OEMs to offer AMD Phenom-based systems early next year." Both of these statements are now in doubt. The first because it's not clear whether smaller vendors will elect to ship many systems with B2 stepping processors that have widely-known TLB (Translation Lookaside Buffer) bugs, despite existing workarounds. Or whether AMD will be shipping them in large enough quantities. The second statement about major OEMs shipping "early next year" is problematic because first-tier vendors will likely wait for the new version of the processor (B3) and getting a new processor stepping out the door takes time, maybe more time than by early 2008.
Opteron/Phenom B2 Stepping Bug: the AMD quad-core Phenom/Opteron bug is related to the Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB). The TLB bug can cause a system to hang when the processor is under certain processing loads. there are two workarounds: one is a BIOS level fix that results in a performance hit (of over 10 percent). The other is a operating system level fix. The latter, apparently, results in no performance hit but may or may not be present in the user's operating system. AMD plans to fix the problem permanently via a B3 stepping of the processor. The upcoming Phenom 9700 (2.4 GHz) and the 9900 (2.6 GHz) will include the fix. In addition, AMD will replace the current Phenom 9500 and 9600 with new 9550 and 9650 models, based on the B3 stepping.
UPDATE: Some vendors are shipping Phenon-based systems today including Falcon Northwest, iBuypower, and Velocity Micro, according to representatives contacted on Monday. For example, and offer configurations with the Phenom chip.
(12/10/07)
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IBM X System server was slated to use Barcelona
Vendors Halt Delivery Estimates For AMD Barcelona Chip
Sales representatives at some large server vendors are no longer giving ETAs for systems with AMD's Barcelona quad-core Opteron processor. Previously, vendors such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard (HP) were at least venturing expected arrival dates for systems. But they've stopped. "We just had a meeting on this," said an HP sales representative on Friday. "We don't have ETAs anymore." IBM, which in October had cited two- to three-week lead times for servers with the quad-core Opteron, is no longer showing dates, according to an IBM representative contacted by phone. An AMD spokesperson contacted Friday said that there will be general availability of Barcelona in the first quarter of 2008 and that limited shipments are going mostly to specialized, high-performance computing (HPC) customers. The quad-core Opteron was officially rolled out on September 10th. The chip has been plagued by production problems and hardware bugs. (12/07/07)
Intel Mea Culpa And Why It Likes Notebooks
At the Credit Suisse technology conference, Intel CFO Stacy Smith talked briefly about forfeiting technology leadership in 2004-2006 to AMD and how this was a driving force behind the creation of the tick-tock model. (Each tick represents the silicon shrink--what Intel calls "compaction"--the tock represents the design of a new microarchitecture. One of these is delivered every year.) "Tick-tock is all about having this cadence from a process standpoint and microarchitecture standpoint where we can extend our leadership. If you look at the trouble that we caused for ourselves in 2004-2006, it wasn't on the process side it was on the microarchitecture side. We in essence missed a generation of microarchitecture. Takes you four years to recover from that. We're very determined not to miss another cycle like that." He elaborated on this a bit more. "Think of [microarchitecture] as the features that we can bring into the marketplace. [The failure in 2004-2006] meant that our products didn't' have the right features. We didn't have a power optimized product line." He also spoke about why Intel has a great affinity for the notebook PC space. "We break the time period into two periods. 'BC' is Before Centrino. After we brought that technology into the market, we saw this real acceleration of growth. By 2009, more than half of all the clients shipped [will be notebooks]." He said that Intel has been playing catch up--"We under forecast the rise of notebooks"--then stated three reasons why notebooks are good for Intel. "It sounds mercenary but I won't be shy about it. One, we get paid more when we sell notebook processors. If it's a Centrino we actually get [more because] we're also selling the wireless solution and the chipset...Two, the refresh rate is faster because it's a fashion statement. People are actually refreshing more quickly because they're seen out in the world with [a notebook PC]...Three, it's a great platform for us to demonstrate technology."
(12/06/07)
Silverthorne Processor Name-Dropping Rampant At Intel
The more Intel talks about Silverthorne, the more important it gets. At a recent Credit Suisse technology conference, Intel's chief financial officer Stacy Smith devoted a good portion of his 30 minute talk to the 45-nanometer process and the Silverthorne architecture. He prefaced the Silverthorne discussion by summarizing the importance of Intel's Hi-k process. In short, it allows Intel to make much smaller chips that run much faster at much lower cost. This business model will drive Intel's entire 2008 product push. The cost argument for Silverthorne is compelling, he said, because the 400-500 die-per-wafer cost model of the current Core 2 will be replaced by Silverthorne's 2500 die-per-wafer model. Silverthorne is "very highly integrated, low cost," he said. Interestingly, Smith referred constantly to Silverthorne "follow-on products" rather to Silverthorne itself, suggesting that derivatives like Diamondville will play a critical role. He repeated the mantra many times that Silverthorne will allow Intel to compete in markets it doesn't currently compete in. "Bring the pricing down and access parts of the market that we haven't accessed before." Smith also showed a slide that had one half populated with graphics of "ultra-low-cost"..."CE" (consumer electronics)..."MID" (mobile internet device). He intimated that all of these devices will eventually be powered by Silverthorne or Silverthorne derivatives. Smith also mentioned Larrabee. "The magic of 45 nanometer let's us go all the way up to [a product like] Larabee...a graphical computing engine which will be a massively parallel, high-power, high-performance product line moving into the most information intensive segments of the market place." (12/05/07)
Intel Promotes Silverthorne Chip Proponent
Intel on Wednesday announced that its board of directors has promoted David (Dadi) Perlmutter to serve as executive vice president. Perlmutter is one of the driving forces behind the upcoming Silverthorne chip that will yield derivatives such as the Diamondville processor for very-low-cost computers. Perlmutter said earlier this year that he usually doesn't try to get too excited about a technology but Silverthorne "reminds me of the early days of the Pentium M and Centrino technology because a good technology has a bigger span than its original aim." Speaking to how Intel can use the Silverthorne core he drew a Centrino analogy. "The original Centrino technology was aimed at notebooks...and within two years it was the core architecture for intel and Core 2 Duo....from notebooks to high end desktops to servers," he said at the time. Today's Intel statement said that Perlmutter, 54, is executive vice president and general manager of Intel Corporation's Mobility Group. "He is responsible for the design, development and marketing of Intel's solutions for the mobile computing segment including Intel Centrino mobile technology. He also manages cross-Intel product development and architecture decisions. Perlmutter joined Intel in 1980 after graduating from Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, with a B.Sc. in electrical engineering." Intel also made the following promotions: Arvind Sodhani was promoted to executive vice president, and Justin Rattner, Ron Friedman, and Ravi Jacob were elected as corporate officers. (12/05/07)
HP-Compaq sub-$500 notebook sold at Wal-Mart
Crush Of Low-Cost Notebooks Coming Next Year
On the heels of Asustek's sub-$300 Eee PC and the One-Laptop-Per-Child (OLPC) laptop, major PC companies will expand their lineups of low-cost notebooks next year, according to a report in DigiTimes. Hewlett-Packard (HP), Acer, and Dell are boosting orders with contract-manufacturer Wistron for sub-US$600 models, according to the Taipei-based publication. HP, for its part, is already driving prices down with its new Compaq C700T series. A system with an Intel Pentium dual-core T2310 processor (1.46 GHz, 1MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB), an X3100 graphics media accelerator, 1GB of memory, and an 80GB hard drive is priced at $534.99. HP and Everex also sell sub-$500 notebooks at Wal-Mart. But the real sea change has come in the form of sub-$300 systems from Asustek and the OLPC project. These are Linux notebooks based on low-cost platforms such as AMD's Geode and Intel's Celeron. This trend will be accelerated with the arrival next year of the Diamondville processor that is targeted at the genre of notebooks (among other form factors), currently starting at prices under $300. Diamondville may also yield $100 desktops, according to reports. (12/04/07)
Intel Santa Rosa Refresh Pares Mobile Chips To 45nm
Intel's first-quarter Santa Rosa refresh will bring 45-nanometer "Penryn" processors to the notebook PC market for the first time. Penryn is the new 45nm core used in Intel's recently-released Xeon processors. Thanks to the smaller geometries, the new mobile chips will integrate 6MB of cache memory--topping the 4MB used in today's top-line mobile processors. Lower-end models will use 3MB of memory. The new model nomenclature will include a high-end X9000, a T9500 below that, then 9300, 8300, and 8100, as widely reported already. Processors are expected to run the current gamut of speeds: from 2.0 to 2.8 GHz. Prices will range from $214 to $851. This will spell the end of Intel's Merom core shipping in Core-2-Duo-based notebooks today. The Penryn core is arguably tailor-made for the mobile space because of its improved thermal envelope. for the 2.8-GHz Penryn are encouraging. Further down the road, the quad-core "Penryn QC" is slated to debut in the third quarter of 2008. And no future mobile platform discussion would be complete without mentioning Montevina, already discussed in relative detail by Intel.
(12/04/07)
Intel, Microsoft Diverging Paths Means WinTel Demise
OPINION: While Intel appears to be moving toward a future of more efficient, higher-performance technology, Microsoft, alas, appears bent on the exact opposite. This will inevitably lead to the decoupling of the seemingly-omnipotent WinTel duopoly that has reigned almost unchallenged for two decades. Their paths diverge more every year. Intel continues to build smaller, faster chips. Microsoft continues its slog toward larger, slower, less-reliable operating systems. It's as if Intel was building bigger, slower, more power-hungry chips and then trying to palm them off as "the best silicon yet!" Microsoft's latest operating system, Vista, is easily one of the worst Microsoft product rollouts to date, in my humble opinion. In my case (and I'm not alone by any means), the most dastardly malware program imaginable couldn't sap productivity much more than Vista has managed to do. (The latest fiasco: after failing time and again to take a .Net Framework update, Vista forced me to reboot, then "greeted" me with a black screen that said my copy of Vista was not genuine and then proceeded to completely block access to Vista. Needless to say, not having access to your computer tends to crimp your workflow. The fact that my copy of Vista came with my Hewlett-Packard notebook didn't seem to matter.) I agree completely with Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, when he said on C-SPAN recently: "The complexity of computers is out of control." He went on to say: "The notebook I have today is worse than the one I had [before]." Here, he's alluding to the gratuitous complexity of the software. "Software companies are always adding a little bit here and there. You have to add features or what are you really selling the next time?...[But] the latest release of software is worse than the previous." Though he didn't mention the company by name, I think it's a fairly safe bet that he was referring to Microsoft. Though Linux is not perfect and not necessarily a panacea, it is, at the very least, more in line with Intel's (and AMD's) future of lower-power, more efficient (and less expensive) technology. That's why the default software on the AMD-based OLPC XO computer is Linux. That's why Asustek's futuristic very-low-cost Intel-based Eee PC is based on Linux. That's why Intel's upcoming Mobile Internet Device (MID) platform is predicated on Linux. That's why WinTel is passé. Even Intel CEO Paul Otellini referred to this issue elliptically when he was talking earlier this year about Intel's future low-power processors. "The power-performance footprint in terms of the kernel is good for Linux," he said. Then added that he was trying to "nudge" Microsoft to make a "power-optimized" version of Vista but was not having much success. --Brooke Crothers (12/04/07)
AMD CEO: All Innovations Come From AMD, Not Intel
(Comments added from editors/writers): AMD's CEO Hector Ruiz was either misquoted or having a bout of megalomania when he said to UAE-based GulfNews.com: "If you look at the last five years, if you look at what major innovations have occurred in computing technology, every single one of them came from AMD. Not a single innovation came from Intel." Even if there's a kernel of truth to Ruiz's statement, it points to AMD's PR problems. RCA laboratories invented the liquid crystal display. But the real challenge--years later--was the mass production of active-matrix LCDs. Production was outrageously difficult at first, bordering on impossible. Ultimately, mass production of AM displays required a lot more R&D and engineer man-hours than coming up with the original idea. And in the chip industry, execution--i.e., fabrication--defines success or failure. OK, so Intel used some of AMD's ideas (of which AMD in turn borrowed from others). Or to use a more recent example, let's say that AMD's "native" design is the first real quad-core processor. (As AMD has claimed ad nauseam.) Fine, but then you have to make the thing. Don't talk up what was in essence a paper processor months in advance as though mere talk should preempt adoption of a shipping Intel product. Intel has had quad-core product for over a year. AMD for a few months. Maybe. (No products to speak of yet from Sun, IBM, Dell, or Hewlett-Packard.) And AMD's native design is not proving to be necessarily superior to Intel's. On another front, AMD's CEO is not taking any responsibility for his company's stock price woes, according to the report. "CEO Hector Ruiz blamed the current stock price on a nervous market," GolfNews said. "But I think things will have to settle down. That may take one or two quarters to occur," Ruiz added. --Editors
(12/01/07)
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