AMD 45nm Opteron HE Low-Power CPUs Launch, Plus Performance SE Chips

AMD have announced five new 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron HE processors, each with 55-watt ACP.  The CPUs - intended for server use – are low-power versions of the company's Shanghai Opterons, announced back in November 2008, which offered 75-watt ACP, and promise up to 20-percent lower idle power for servers using the new HE chips.

The 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron HE chips are initially available in speeds ranging from 2.1 to 2.3GHz, and can be found first in a range of eight servers from HP.  Desktop, rack and blade systems are all on offer, while servers from Dell and Sun are expected to follow later in the quarter. 

AMD have also announced two new high-performance Opteron processors, the 2.8GHz 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron SE's.  Unlike the HE chips, the SE prioritises performance over economy; that's why they come in at 105-watt ACP.  They're also available in systems from HP and other vendors.

Press Release:

AMD Helps Customers Counter Rising Data Center Power and Cooling Expenses

— New Highly Efficient 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron™ HE processors now available in systems from Global OEMs and solution providers —

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — January 26, 2009 –Addressing the number one challenge for data center managers1, AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced widespread availability of five new low-power 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron™ HE processors. At 55-watt ACP, these new highly efficient processors help meet the industry's rising demand for low power, cost-saving data center technology. Now available in eight server systems from HP, the new processors can help customers immediately recognize power savings and increased virtualization performance. Rackable Systems will also have Quad-Core AMD Opteron HE processor-based servers available immediately and additional systems from global OEMs including Dell, Sun, and other solution providers are expected later this quarter.

The 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron HE processor, with speeds ranging from 2.1 to 2.3 GHz, is designed to address a vast segment of the business computing market that must maximize performance during peak hours while managing the energy costs during idle and low-utilization hours. Server platforms based on these new AMD Opteron HE processors can offer up to 20% lower idle power compared to similarly configured competing systems2, helping cut energy costs without compromising any of the processor features of the standard power options.

"In the current economic environment, datacenter managers are under more pressure than ever to reduce costs without compromising the latest features or performance," said Patrick Patla, general manager, Server and Workstation Business, AMD. "The new Quad-Core AMD Opteron HE series processor offers unrivaled performance-per-watt and cost-efficiencies for a wide range of configurations without a potential front-side bus bottleneck. In the second quarter AMD plans to take energy-efficiency to the next level in introducing even lower ACP processors for the unique demands of cloud computing environments."

Additionally, two new 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron SE processors (2.8 GHz) are now available for customers with the most performance-intensive datacenter workloads. At the 105-watt ACP thermal envelope, these new processors are also immediately available in three new systems from HP as well as from other AMD technology partners.

New Power Management Innovations and Performance Numbers

Significant new power management capabilities are now enabled with all 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors. Details on these new additional power saving features, as well as information on the performance data available for both new processor categories is available at AMD@work.

About AMD

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is an innovative technology company dedicated to collaborating with customers and partners to ignite the next generation of computing and graphics solutions at work, home and play. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.

AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Opteron, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

1 IDC Market Analysis #215870 Worldwide Server Energy Expense 2008-2012 Forecast, Jed Scaramella, Copyright 2008 IDC.

2 Based on AMD internal testing. AMD configuration: 2 x Quad-Core AMD Opteron™ processors Model 2376 HE (2.3GHz) in Supermicro 2021M-UR+ motherboard, 16GB (8x2GB DDR2-667) memory, 500GB SATA disk drive, Ablecom PWS-702A-1R power supply, SuSE Linux® Enterprise Server 10 SP2 64-bit. Intel configuration: 2 x Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors Model L5420 (2.5GHz) in Supermicro 6025W-NTR+ motherboard, 16GB (8x2GB DDR2-667 Low-Power FB-DIMM) memory, 500GB SATA disk drive, Ablecom PWS-702A-1R power supply, SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP2 64-bit.