SEATTLE - Advanced Micro Devices said on Thursday that it had made prototypes of a computer chip with four processing cores and that it was on track to put it on the market by mid-2007.
AMD is trying to fend off resurgent rival Intel, which has already launched a processor with four cores. Each core acts like a separate processor, allowing a computer to handle more tasks at the same time.
'What we really wanted to do is let everyone know that the product is right on schedule,' John Fruhe, AMD's business development manager for the chip, told Reuters.
He did not reveal pricing or technical details of the chip, saying only that it would use the same amount of energy as AMD's existing processors and that it would be priced competitively with Intel's.
He also said AMD's chip would be superior because all four cores were placed on a single piece of silicon, improving speed and efficiency.
Intel's quad-core product essentially sticks two of its dual-core chips together, but the company is hoping that it can win back market share from AMD by claiming to be first to market with such a powerful chip.
AMD also said the new chip, which will be launched under its Opteron brand for server computers that run business networks, would be made with a process that etches circuitry at 65 nanometres across. All AMD chips are now made with 90-nanometre circuits, and its long-awaited shift to 65 is expected to improve the performance of its processors and make its factories more profitable. -- REUTERS
