AMD creates Beachhead for Opteron programme

AN AMD DOCUMENT seen by the INQUIRER reveals the strategy it wants its system integrators to use as they start to sell Opteron (Hammer) systems this year.

The strategy - codenamed Beachhead - starts off with the premise that the computing environment today - and we presume it is referring to the current Intel CPU offerings -- "isolates 32-bit and 64-bit computing into incompatible island".

Intel's systems need a new infrastructure, including enclosures, cooling and power supplies, and new software with a consequent steep learning curve for end users and support personnel, and wasting billions of dollars worldwide in research and development.

Not unsurprisingly, AMD thinks it can help with the Opteron by using existing server infrastructure, the ability to run 32-bit software natively, and an easy migration to 64-bits.

So far, so known. But AMD is trying to persuade its end users that the Opteron will allow them to access multi-terabyte databases online, deliver multi-GB files faster, offer better simulation, and include real time encryption.

The document quotes Microsoft's David Cutler, who it describes as a senior distinguished engineer, as saying: "32-bits of address space is just not enough any more".

The document mentions a number of projects which already use Athlon computers, including UC Santa Cruz, Massey University, the University of Vienna with 160 AMD Athlons, and the University for Nebraska, Lincoln, which uses 246 Athlons.

The pride of its collection is the Cray "Red Storm" 40+ teraflops X86-64 Opteron cluster at Sandia National Labs. µ

See Also
How AMD views Newisys and Khepri
Early AMD Opterons -- there's only 500 available