AMD Takes on Intel with AM2 and HT - Plans for Extending HyperTransport
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Plans for Extending HyperTransport
AMD may not be changing their processors immediately, but they are not resting. HyperTransport (HT), as many of you know, can be used to replace the front-side bus (FSB) in some chipsets as well as interconnect multiple processors. HyperTransport offers up to 22.4 GB/s bandwidth, which is considerably better than alternatives such as the FSB architecture that Intel is currently using. It is this technology AMD is focusing on right now, and with good reason.
In order to improve the flexibility and effectiveness of HT for using their processors in diverse implementations, AMD is planning to license Coherent HyperTransport technology to other companies. The chipmaker wants to show off how their interconnect technology works and how it interacts with their processors. This, they hope, will allow their entire platform to become more flexible for those who need customized platforms.
Currently, multiprocessor systems are built primarily to handle a heavy load. Some applications, however, would benefit more from a specialized coprocessor. Licensing the technology allows other companies to develop a multiprocessor platform for specific applications. Phil Hestor of AMD explained how the company is looking to develop HyperTransport:
People like Cray and others would like to do vector floating-point units. Being able to do that requires a co-processor, or attached processor elements that would attach into a standard system.
We don't have any finalized plans yet, but if you look at the workloads in the data center, you're starting to see applications where, if you could accelerate XML and Java, a number of the vertical applications would perform significantly better. So instead of trying to build a machine that's just aimed at workloads, you can think about the attached processor or co-processor that works in conjunction with our AMD64 architecture to accelerate those workloads. (Source)
AMD is probably crossing their fingers that the HyperTransport license becomes so widely accepted in servers and specialized applications that Intel either has to engineer a compatible architecture or license it. Of course, this side of AMD's plans is not aimed at desktop consumers. This will strengthen AMD's hold on servers if it goes as planned.
More or less, you can expect AM2 to look a lot like 939 for a little while. If you are shopping for a new computer now, it may be best advice to hold off for a couple months. AM2 will give you a longer upgrade path for CPU and memory, and Intel's Conroe is sure to overpower a lot of the x86 market for a while.
Aside from upgrades though, there's not much reason not to go with 939; for those of us with decent 939 systems, they'll still be top-of-the-line for some time and probably offer bargain upgrades later when everyone is switching.
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