If someone asked me about four-way server system powered by AMD processors and developed by ex-Dell and ex-IBM guys three years ago, I would definitely doubt that this may be possible since the K6 architecture was not very efficient and Athlon were not so popular due to several reasons. Later AMD760MPX chipset allowed to built 4-way systems, but the solution was not powerful enough and no server vendors were interested in it. Today AMD demonstrates a prototype version of the 64-bit Microsoft Windows operating system using 64-bit Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), 64-bit Terminal Services and 64-bit Microsoft Internet Explorer running on Newisys Khepri systems based on the upcoming AMD Opteron processor.

The company performed the demonstration at the Supercomputing 2002 conference in Baltimore. AMD also showed 32-bit Microsoft Office XP running on the upcoming 64-bit Microsoft Windows operating system and demonstrated the ability to access data and files between both 32- and 64-bit applications. The second-largest CPU maker in the world also showcased 32-bit Fluent 6.0 computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software running on the upcoming 64-bit Microsoft Windows operating system on a four-way AMD Opteron processor-based server.

Fluent software is used for simulation, visualization, and prediction of fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, and chemical reactions, and is typically used in a multiprocessor or clustered computing environment. Fluent software is used in a variety of industries including automotive, aerospace, chemical/process, and power generation.

It is very important that Newisys already can demonstrate fully functional Opteron systems just now. This company is one of the main developers of AMD Opteron based reference-platforms, hence, all the companies who may be interested in server processors from AMD, definitely look at Newisys now.

I remind you that Newisys` strategy is to stay behind the scene, developing and manufacturing Opteron based platforms, and to sell its servers to the vendors, who do not build such systems. Although the company and its spokespersons are tight-lipped about their future clients, smiling on a mention about IBM, some analysts claim that both Dell and IBM are very interested in Newisys. Co-founder Phil Hestert told that IBM gave him its blessing to leave to start Newisys, at the same time, taking away a huge team of specialists with him. A lot of engineers from Dell now also work at Newisys. I can hardly imagine that a lot of talented developers left their companies to start working on a platform without perspectives. Moreover, it seems that both vendors were completely aware about this company when their workers left them for Newisys.

AMD demonstrates systems based on the upcoming AMD Opteron and AMD Athlon processors with Hammer technology at Comdex Fall, and at booth number 1544 at Supercomputing 2002, November 18-21, 2002.