In addition to providing performance and power benefits to AMD64 products today, the transition keeps AMD on track with its plans to deliver 90nm dual-core products mid-next year and also provides operational benefits such as increased production capacities.
90nm AMD Athlon™ 64 processors for desktop systems are expected to ship later this quarter, followed by 90nm AMD Opteron™ processor shipments later this year. AMD will release further details of all products in conjunction with official product launches.
On Track for Dual Core
In addition to benefiting today's products, AMD's success at 90nm better positions the company to deliver dual-core processors mid-next year. Benefits to AMD's dual-core manufacturing roadmap include:
- 90nm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) process enhancements provide higher performance, lower power transistors, which can be integrated into new dual-core designs. This will better enable AMD to deliver dual-core processors that meet AMD's aggressive performance targets.
- 90nm transistors are much smaller and more power efficient than their 130nm predecessors, which allows for greater transistor densities within chips. This will better enable AMD to integrate additional components, including a second core and other improvements, on the same chip without a dramatic increase to chip size.
- AMD's patented Automated Precision Manufacturing capabilities provide a proven, high-yield 90nm manufacturing capability required for the increased fabrication complexities of dual-core designs.
Efficiencies gained from 90nm manufacturing are also expected to result in operational benefits for AMD. For example, reductions in chip sizes resulting from the 90nm transition allow AMD to produce more processors on the same sized wafer, resulting in increased production capacity.
