AMD, parallelamente allo sviluppo e alla immissione sul mercato dei nuovi processori AM2, sta lavorando ad un progetto che consentirà la commercializzazione degli attuali processori Athlon 64, Sempron e Athlon X2 (dual-core) in versione Energy Efficient ("energicamente efficiente", ndr).

Con tale definizione il chip-maker sottolinea il fatto che le nuove cpu saranno caratterizzate da un consumo di potenza notevolmente inferiore rispetto ai modelli equivalenti non energicamente efficienti. Per fissare le idee il valore nominale massimo del consumo di potenza degli attuali chip di AMD, al variare dei modelli, è pari almeno a 89W. I chip "energicamente efficienti" potranno vantare un consumo di potenza il cui massimo nominale, al variare dei modelli, è compreso tra 35W e 65W. Costeranno naturalmente di più: ad esempio un Athlon X2 4800+ "energicamente efficiente" sarà venduto dal costruttore a $671 in stock di 1.000 unità. Lo stesso chip in versione standard costa oggi $645 in stock di 1.000 unità.

Il vantaggio offerto dalle soluzioni Energy Efficient, che saranno disponibili entro fine mese ai grandi System Builder, coincide in primis con la riduzione del calore generato: ciò rende più agevole il raffreddamento del componente e limita la dimensione dei sistemi di cooling.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- May 16, 2006 --Leveraging its leadership in performance-per-watt computing, AMD (NYSE: AMD) today unveiled a top-to-bottom energy efficient AMD desktop processor roadmap at the In-Stat Spring Processor Forum. Consumers and businesses alike are requesting smaller, more elegant PCs that aesthetically complement home and office environments, yet deliver the same performance as larger systems. Energy efficient AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core, AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Sempron processors, based on the upcoming socket AM2, are designed to provide for new freedoms in PC form factor design by offering significant performance-per-watt advantages over standard processors for commercial and consumer markets. Energy–efficient computing is a crucial step for the computing industry as large businesses seek to reduce operating costs.

“AMD is challenging the status quo for commercial clients,” said Bob Brewer, corporate vice president, Desktop Business, AMD. “Customers are demanding a renewed focus on energy efficiency and AMD is responding by delivering energy-efficient desktop processors that can help OEMs innovate and deliver small, sleek PC designs that enable businesses and consumers to save energy. AMD has established leadership in both desktop and servers with energy efficiency and performance-per-watt, and we are extremely pleased to once again raise the bar in desktop energy efficiency.”

Building on AMD’s success in the blade and general purpose server markets with the AMD Opteron processor, energy efficient AMD desktop processors can deliver greater performance-per-watt over standard power AMD desktop processors and can reduce overall power consumption. For instance, energy efficient AMD desktop processors can provide up to 37 percent greater performance-per-watt than standard power AMD processors, while energy efficient small form factor AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core desktop processors can provide up to 154 percent greater performance-per-watt than standard power AMD desktop processors. When running typical workloads, as reflected in the SYSmark^® 2004 SE benchmark, end users could experience their energy efficient dual-core processor consuming 14 watts.+

Trends leading towards, smaller and more efficient PCs
AMD’s announcement comes as the trend toward smaller and more efficient PCs is gaining momentum in both the consumer and business markets. Businesses seeking to lower total cost of IT ownership are looking to smaller designs capable of reduced energy consumption, heat and noise associated with operation. Consumers who base buying decisions on appearance, price and performance, are also increasingly attracted to smaller form factors.

“As a leading designer and manufacturer of small form factor computers, Shuttle’s continued commitment to innovation and creativity with our XPC products has raised the bar on small form factor computer design,” said Ken Huang, vice president, Shuttle. “We expect energy efficient desktop processors from AMD will give us the opportunity to continue to differentiate ourselves, while providing competitive solutions and choice to our customers.”

“Based on advances in technology, as well as the changing business and consumer usage models, we believe that smaller machines with more innovative designs will outsell the ‘mini-tower’ designs traditionally favored by businesses and power-hungry consumers,” said Jim McGregor, principal analyst with In-Stat. “AMD’s new family of energy efficient desktop processors nicely complements PC manufacturers’ need to design and deliver smaller, sleeker form factors into the market.”

AMD remains committed to an improved global environment
The introduction of the energy efficient AMD desktop processor roadmap further demonstrates AMD’s commitment to an improved global environment. The new line of energy efficient processors will complement AMD’s award-winning Cool‘n’Quiet technology and advance system energy efficiency. Cool‘n’Quiet technology improves a computer’s energy efficiency by allowing a system to match processor utilization to the performance actually required. In March 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded AMD’s Cool’n’Quiet technology special recognition for the advancement of energy efficient computer technologies.

AMD’s commitment to energy efficiency extends from its leadership in product design to the facilities it builds. Both of AMD’s wafer fabrication facilities, Fab 30 and Fab 36 in Dresden, Germany, are powered by dedicated highly efficient cogeneration plants. In addition, AMD has committed its future Austin, Texas campus to 100 percent GreenChoice power, supporting the development of alternative energy sources.

Pricing and Availability
The initial energy efficient desktop processor model numbers include AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core, AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Sempron processors. These new desktop processors are slated for availability in May. AMD also announced pricing for these processors:

• Energy Efficient Desktop Processors++: AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processors 4800+ ($671), 4600+ ($601), 4400+ ($514), 4200+ ($417), 4000+ ($353) and 3800+ ($323).
• Energy Efficient Small Form Factor Desktop Processors+++: AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor 3800+ ($364), AMD Athlon 64 processors 3500+ ($231), and AMD Sempron processors 3400+ ($145), 3200+ ($119) and 3000+ ($101).

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