AMD Set to Ship 65nm Chips for Revenue in Late 2006 – Web-Site

by Anton Shilov
05/15/2006 | 05:33 AM

Advanced Micro Devices will start revenue shipments of its processors produced using 65nm process technology in late 2006 to its customers among system makers, on Monday reported a Chinese web-site. The new chips, however, are not expected to be available for retail customers.

A news-story published by HKEPC web-site suggests that in the fourth quarter of the year AMD will start commercial shipments of its first 65nm Athlon 64 X2 chip models 4200+ (2.20GHz, 1MB of cache [512KB per core]), 4400+ (2.20GHz, 2MB of cache [1MB per core]),  4600+ (2.40GHz, 1MB of cache [512KB per core]), and 4800+ (2.40GHz, 2MB of cache [1MB per core]), designed for socket AM2 infrastructure to system integrators. The web-site calls the chips as Brisbane, while earlier AMD’s chips with different cache sizes had different code-names. If the report is correct and there is no separate name for chips featuring 1MB of level-two cache (512KB per core), it means that AMD will disable part of the cache on certain chips.

While thinner process technology allows to increase clock-speed potential and/or pack additional circuitries into a processor, the first batch of AMD64 processors produced at 65nm will not be top-of-the-range products, which is inline with AMD’s strategy in transition to more advanced fabrication processes. The company first produces performance-mainstream or mobile chips – that have relatively conservative clock-speeds – using a new process technology.

The web-site claims that by late 2006 the world’s second largest maker of x86 chips will introduce number of new processors in order to fight against Intel’s Core 2 chips in the desktop market. AMD Athlon 64 FX-62 (2.80GHz, 2MB L2 cache in total) and AMD Athlon 64 5000+ (2.60GHz, 1MB L2 cache in total) are expected to be introduced within weeks from now, but by late Q4 the company’s lineup will include AMD Athlon 64 FX-64 (3.0GHz, 2MB L2 cache in total), AMD Athlon 64 5200+ (2.60GHz, 2MB L2 cache in total) as well as 5400+ (2.80GHz, 1MB L2 cache in total).

Fab 36 remains on track to begin 65nm production shipments in the second-half of this year, and be substantially converted to 65nm production by mid-2007, according to a recent statement by AMD. However, end-users who buy from local computer makers or assemble computers themselves, will not be able to purchase AMD’s 65nm processors in retail until Q1 2007.

In its news-story HKEPC also mentioned that AMD has no plans for single-core Athlon 64 processors made using 65nm process technology. It is unclear, whether the firm will make its single-core Sempron chips using thinner manufacturing process.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.