Clouded judgment
Another plus is the fact AMD can use the platform as a springboard to become much more competitive in the high-performance computing segment, as Kroner will likely deliver increased system/platform bandwidth with HyperTransport 3 and PCI Express 2.0. Also, overall platform performance per watt should add to that increasing competitiveness, as AMD has a heritage in low-power chipset design.
Meanwhile, the addition of IOMMU provides I/O virtualisation capabilities, which only serves to bolster AMD's already strong performance in this area. Talking to HEXUS recently, In-Stat's Jim McGregor noted "as using the cloud becomes more popular, servers will start requiring more graphics performance," but, he continued, whether that will offset changes in the PC market, "no one knows for sure."
There has apparently already been some traction in the channel with platforms expected to be available in the coming weeks from server providers like Tyan, Supermicro, Microway, and ZT Systems - and AMD reckons there are more to come.
According to the firm, additional OEMs are expected to incorporate the new AMD server chipset into their systems based on the upcoming 12-core AMD Opteron processor codenamed "Magny-Cours", to be released in the first quarter of 2010.
Of course, while all this is well and good, we still feel it might be a bit of a challenge for AMD to make a dent in Intel's robust architecture and performance leadership. Still, it brings to mind the old mantra that if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
