AMD Initiates Shipments of 90nm Microprocessors?

by Anton Shilov
07/05/2004 | 06:24 AM

Advanced Micro Devices might have started to ship its first microprocessors made using 90nm silicon-on-insulator process technology to certain clients, as may be suggested from a picture of an AMD64 chip that is reported to be produced using 90nm fabrication process.

VR-Zone web-site who published the photo said that AMD Athlon 64 processor in the picture was code-named Oakville. According to AMD’s recent roadmap, the Oakville core is designed for Mobile Athlon 64 processors.

The web-site reports that desktop flavour of Oakville code-named Winchester will have extremely small die of 83 square millimeters. Both chips will incorporate 512KB of L2 cache, but it is not clear whether the chips sport dual-channel or single-channel memory controllers.

According to the recently unveiled roadmap, the Sunnyvale, California-based chipmaker plans to release a number of AMD Opteron processors code-named Athens, Troy and Venus, a Mobile Athlon 64 processor known as Oakville and a desktop Athlon 64 processor code-named Winchester produced using 90nm fabrication process in the second half of the year. The initial commercial shipments of AMD64 chips produced at 90nm nodes are officially said to commence in the third quarter of 2004.

In the first half of next year AMD will release the successor of its AMD Athlon 64 FX chip with core code-named San Diego along with a lineup of mobile microprocessors. In the second half of the year the company will release dual-core chips. AMD believes that the current AMD Athlon 64 FX microprocessor made using 130nm technology will be able to scale for at least one speed-bin required to compete successfully with the rival Intel Corp..

According to unofficial sources, AMD’s Athlon 64 FX-57 processor at 2.80GHz made using 90nm Silicon-on-Insulator process technology will be released in Q2 2005. A slightly slower AMD Athlon 64 FX-55 chip at 2.60GHz will be available in Q4 2004.

In the second half of next year AMD will initiate production of dual-core processors for various market segments using 90nm SOI process.

Representatives from Advanced Micro Devices declined to comment on the report, but said the company started shipments of samples products using 90nm process technology in Q2 2004 and is on track to begin volume commerical production of such devices in Q3 2004.