AMD has introduced its long-awaited Opteron 6000 Series server platform. Formerly codenamed Magny-Cours, the platform features the “world’s first” 8- and 12-core x86 processor for the high-volume 2P and value 4P server market.
AMD spokesperson John Fruehe told TG Daily that the introduction of Magny-Cours would allow the company to effectively split the server market into two segments: with one targeted at sheer performance and the other focused on (mid-range) cost efficiency.
“Both platforms use the same chipsets and will be compatible with our upcoming ‘Bulldozer’ core slated for release sometime during 2011,” said Fruehe.
“Now, I really do think this strategy will enable AMD to line up products that are more in tune with what our customers are trying to do. Indeed, a number of top OEMs – including HP, Dell, Acer Group, Cray and SGI – have already committed to introducing new systems based on this highly scalable and reliable platform.
“Remember, the competition only offers a one size fits all solution for the mainstream market segment. But we are offering our customers a choice, whether for high-performance sector or mid-rang cloud computing requirements.
“So this is basically a removal of the ‘4P tax,’ since the same processors can be used in both 2P and 4P designs. And, 4P-capable processors are now the same price as 2P-capable processors, which brings greatly improved value to the 4P space.”
According to Fruehe, the 6000 platform features the industry’s only 8- and 12 core server processors which provide a two-time performance increase over AMD’s last-gen 6-core processors.
Magny-Cours also boasts an enhanced integrated memory controller that supports four channels of DDR3 memory for up to a 2.5x improvement in overall memory bandwidth.
Additional specs include:
- Thirty-three percent more memory channels per processor than competitive 2P solutions.
- 50% higher DIMM capacity compared to previous generations, with up to 12 per processor.
- AMD 5600 Series chipset with I/O virtualization capability, HyperTransport 3.0 technology and PCI Express 2.0.
- New power management features, such as a C1E power state, an Advanced Platform Management Link and CoolSpeed technology.
