AMD
Athlon Debuts
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--August 9th, 1999
AMD today introduced
the 650MHz AMD Athlon(TM) processor, the world's fastest and highest-performance
microprocessor for x86 computer systems. The AMD Athlon family is designed to
deliver unprecedented performance for cutting-edge commercial and consumer software
applications running on high-end desktop systems, workstations, and servers.
What
this means:
-
AMD may
now give Intel more serious competition. AMD's potential to grab higher-end
market share has increased - its present success is primarily in the sub-$1000
PC market.
-
AMD may
finally be able to provide multiprocessor capability for servers, something
it has lacked, and where Intel is the volume king. (Note: Athlon is "multiprocessing
ready"; it still needs the "Poseidon" support chip set - not yet available
- to be able to provide true multiprocessing.)
-
Use of
the Alpha bus theoretically provides performance advantages beyond raw CPU
speed.
-
Since the
technology is "unproven", there is an inherent risk to its success. If Athlon
fails, AMD runs the risk of going down with it.
-
The more
credible the threat of Athlon is, the more likely that Intel will react
strongly.