Following our last weeks’ article about dual-core AMD processors, some AMD representatives made a number of comments on the matter. The firm will really launch dual-core Opteron chip in late 2005, certainly, to compete with Intel’s Xeon code-named Tulsa processor due in the same timeframe.

AMD’s officials made it clear that the first dual-core AMD Opteron processors featuring AMD64 aka x86-64 technology would be manufactured using 90nm SOI technology going into mass production in the second half of next year. In late 2005 AMD plans to start transition to 65nm fabrication process, hence, the first dual-core chips by AMD will surely utilize mature 90nm design.

Intel’s first Xeon “Tulsa” chip with two processing cores is also very likely to be made using 90nm fabrication technology, as we managed to reveal recently.

In case both leading CPU designers introduce their dual-core chips at 90nm, AMD, whose CPU cores have recently been a bit smaller compared to Intel’s, may have a manufacturing cost benefit there. But keeping in mind that there is no information about performance of chips coming out in 2005, cost benefit does not necessarily mean a benefit for the actual microprocessor in the market, as customers potentially interested in such solutions are more interested in performance, rather than the CPU price.