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Brand Power: AMD to release 64-bit ARM-based Opertons in 2014

by Alistair Lowe on 30 October 2012, 10:45

Tags: AMD (NYSE:AMD), ARM

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The pieces of the puzzle were certainly present, with the inclusion of ARM tech as security modules in some AMD SoCs, the buyout of SeaMicro, popular for its ARM server clusters, ongoing-work to generate a common AMD-ARM interconnect and AMD's Heterogeneous aspirations, however, it wasn't clear just how much of the picture AMD had pieced together and indeed, how big the picture AMD had envisioned was in the first place, however today, we have the beginnings of an answer.

64-bit AMD ARM Opteron

Building on the concepts of its open Fusion System Architecture announced last year, AMD has revealed that in 2014, it will release 64-bit ARM-based Opterons for scalable clustered servers. On-die will sit multiple ARMv8 CPU cores, multiple server-class APU cores (whether of ARM or AMD design is yet TBC), along with SeaMicro's Freedom interconnect 'Fabric', providing a standardised interconnect between chips for efficient clustering.

We have a feeling that AMD ultimately plans to offer a healthy mixture of APUs and x86 and ARM CPUs that seamlessly interconnect for highly bespoke solutions, though it will likely be the latter-half of the decade before we see the firm reach this stage.



HEXUS Forums :: 8 Comments

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Will AMD have the time and money to even get to 2014, let alone later? Or will they end up getting borged into a larger company before then? I'm not sure we'll be seeing AMD branded CPUs in 5 years.
i`ll say it now - TOLD YOU SO ; said this a few months back AMD are moving into ARM….
Smart move here by AMD, For me its looking like Intel are more and more going to be the ones to loose out in the long run with the ARM takeover.
There is a typo!! I assume the author of the article meant Opterons?? :p
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Smart move here by AMD, For me its looking like Intel are more and more going to be the ones to loose out in the long run with the ARM takeover.

Intel can reduce power usage to meet the ARM chips as they increase CPU grunt, they already are doing so and certain Atom SOCs are now in the same ballpark of perf/Watt as ARM based architectures. ARM and their licensees would have an enormous struggle to scale their chips to compete with Xeon and i7 chips, they'd have to burn a lot more power to hit that level and above to overcome the hump of x86 legacy compatibility.

When it comes down to it they are all operating within the laws of physics and they all have to use similar peripheral chips and power technology… I've said it before and I'll say it again I really don't understand this idea that ARM is the saviour of the universe come to rid us of power hungry Intel CPUs, it ain't gonna happen, Intel aren't going anywhere they have massive R&D, the best chip fabs and technologies and can attract some of the best industry talent. AMD however are small fry, struggling to stay above water - they had to move into ARM as an insurance policy, if x86 sales did shrink it'd kill them first.