AMD Readies Opteron

Chip maker Advanced Micro Devices will formally launch its 64-bit Opteron server processor Tuesday, and some software and hardware vendors have been quick to jump on the bandwagon.

Linux on Board

For example, SuSE Linux AG plans to make available this week a version of its Linux distribution for use on Opteron-based systems.

SuSE has created a release of the open-source operating system that lets users run 32-bit applications as well as 64-bit ones, said Markus Rex, SuSE's vice president of development. SuSE built the release out of the same code it uses for servers based on Intel's Itanium and x86 chips and IBM's mainframe, midrange, and Unix systems, which should make it easier for vendors to develop applications for Opteron systems, Rex said.

Red Hat said it plans to have an Opteron-enabled version of its Linux operating system ready in the fall.

IBM said it will have an Opteron version of its DB2 Universal Database ready this summer, initially supporting SuSE's Linux software. Oracle has confirmed it's also developing a release of its Oracle9i database that will run on Opteron-based systems.

Next Stop: Desktop?

Meanwhile, Microsoft earlier in April said it will start beta-testing 64-bit versions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 for Opteron and AMD's upcoming Athlon 64 desktop processor by midyear.

AMD representatives say the company is talking with top server vendors about using Opteron in their systems. Some smaller server makers, including Polywell Computers, M&A Technology, and Penguin Computing have already signed up to use the new chip. In addition, NVidia said it plans to announce an Opteron-optimized graphics motherboard chip set for high-end workstations.

Bill Claybrook, an analyst at Aberdeen Group, said Opteron gives AMD a potential advantage over Intel's 64-bit Itanium chips because of its support for 32-bit applications.

"With Itanium, you have to port them, and it's not necessarily an easy port," he said.

The support for both 32- and 64-bit applications is where "AMD is really starting to show some muscle," said Ted Schadler, an analyst at Forrester Research. "That's pretty powerful, and obviously a decision Intel didn't make."