Future AMD Opteron processors, Software licensing

Future AMD Opteron processors

A new generation of processor socket (called G34) is planned for the first half of 2010. It will feature DDR3 memory, the AMD RD890 chipset, and an additional HT link. New 8- and 12-core AMD Opteron processors, codenamed Magny-Cours, are planned for socket G34.

AMD is expected to continue improving the AMD Opteron processor family with faster memory and HyperTransport speeds. AMD has also announced the Torrenza initiative which will provide an additional chip socket for a co-processor on the motherboard. This socket will include a HyperTransport bus connection, and it will support graphics and other more specialized third-party co-processors.

Software licensing

Customers should be aware of possible changes in software licensing for use of multi-core processors. At this writing, major OS vendors, such as Microsoft, treat multi-core processors as performance improvements to a single processor8; they are not making a distinction for licensing purposes among processors with one, two, four, or more cores. However, customers should check with their OS and application vendors to determine particular licensing requirements.

In April 2009, AMD announced a ROM feature called AMD Core Select that enables IT managers to turn off one or more cores to fine tune hardware for specific operating conditions and workloads, or to address software licensing issues.

Conclusion

HP ProLiant servers continue to offer both AMD Opteron and Intel® Xeon™ processor architectures to deliver the best possible choice to customers. HP ProLiant servers using the AMD Opteron processor family have proven their performance in numerous benchmarks and systems. Multi-core AMD Opteron technology takes advantage of multi-threaded applications and reduces latencies, providing higher performance within the same power budget.

8Refer to the Microsoft website http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/highlights/multicore.mspx