Event Coverage

Computex 2009 - Part 7

By Vijay Anand - 6 Jun 2009

AMD's 'Istanbul' Server Updates

AMD's 'Istanbul' Server Updates

 Pat Patla, VP and GM of Server and Workstation Business at AMD walked us through the updates on AMD's server business - most notably on Istanbul (AMD's six-core 45nm server processor).

 Key features of the Istanbul Opteron processor. There's not a whole lot to say about it since architecturally, it is still using the same 45nm design of the Shanghai core, but now has six instead of four cores.

 One major feature added to the Istanbul is HT Assist, which serves to reduce HT bus traffic in 4-way server systems or higher where probe traffic and broadcasting consumes quite a bit of HT traffic to resolve which CPU has the required data or needs the requested data. HT Assist reserves 1MB of each CPU's L3 cache to act as a directory recording down where that CPU's cache lines are used throughout the system. The reduction is HT traffic reduces memory latencies and improves overall memory throughput since snooping greatly reduced.

 AMD claims that for a given TDP rating, the new Istanbul processor is 60% more efficient in performance-per-watt over its predecessor.

 The performance and pricing structure of AMD's Shanghai and Istanbul processors applicable from now.

 Last but not least, Global Foundaries gave us a quick overview of when their process technologies and production schedules will take place. It looks like they've got their roadmaps all planned out till at least 2011 - which is when the 28nm parts will go in to production.

 This is a Supermicro 2021M-UR dual-socket six-core ready Opteron server.

 And here's a 2U HP DL 385 with dual quad-core AMD Opteron 2300 processors.

 This is the Dell PowerEdge M605 dual-socket quad-core AMD Opteron server. Extremely compact indeed.

 This is the Dell PowerEdge M605 dual-socket quad-core AMD Opteron server. Extremely compact indeed.

 

 

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