AMD-V and Hyper-V get cosy

AMD HAS TEAMED up with Microsoft in a bid to jointly take a bigger slice of the server virtualisation market.

The two companies are offering a joint model which combines the Opteron's AMD-V and Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V to streamline virtualisation on a hardware and software level.

The partnership is specifically aimed at small and mid-sized companies, which have thus far avoided taking the plunge into the world of virtualised servers.

"Through our continued partnership with Microsoft, AMD is expanding virtualisation's reach and the benefits of resource consolidation to companies that might not have taken advantage of virtualisation in the past," explained Kevin Knox, AMD's vice president of Worldwide Commercial Business.

The deal should help OEMs and value-added resellers to more easily punt the preset combination of hardware and software to companies of all sizes with the 'designed to work closely together' card, particularly smaller businesses that lack the luxury of a dedicated IT department.

AMD couldn't tell us when people will be able to get these combined platforms through their door, or how much they will cost, but with Hyper-V now coming into full swing and the focus on smaller businesses, we can only think it won't be far away and shouldn't cost the earth. µ