Efficiency and flexibility are two of the themes for VMworld 2009, so it seems like an appropriate time to discuss the efficiency and flexibility of AMD’s Direct Connect Architecture. As Tim Mueting and I discussed on YouTube , this architecture and AMD Virtualization^TM (AMD-V^TM) technology enable servers using AMD Opteron^TM 8400 Series processors to consolidate more virtual machines than servers using a competing architecture¹. Direct Connect Architecture also lets AMD deliver socket-compatible processor solutions ranging from our highest performance AMD Opteron^TM 8400 SE Series processors to our new energy efficient AMD Opteron^TM 2400 EE Series processors.

When Quad-Core AMD Opteron^TM processor Model 2384 was introduced less than a year ago, servers using this processor achieved a number of performance records (here and here) and a key reviewer concluded that “Right now, it is clear that the latest AMD Opteron is in the lead.” If you look at the performance of Six-Core AMD Opteron^TM 2419 EE processor-based servers, you see that servers using this new low-power processor are outperforming servers using the Quad-Core AMD Opteron^TM processor Model 2384. That’s pretty impressive.

And the energy savings from using low-power Six-Core AMD Opteron^TM EE processors (compared to 75W ACP Six-Core AMD Opteron^TM processors) are significant. When we replaced the 75W ACP Six-Core AMD Opteron^TM processors in a ZT Systems server with 40W ACP Six-Core AMD Opteron^TM EE processors, server power consumption at 100% load dropped by 124W (40%).

Surpassing the performance of Quad-Core AMD Opteron^TM processor Model 2384-based servers using extremely energy efficient processors is quite a feat. Achieving higher performance, while consuming less power, is even more impressive. To top it off, the Six-Core AMD Opteron^TM processor Model 2419 EE is being offered at the same price that the Quad-Core AMD Opteron^TM processor Model 2384 was sold for last year².

Higher performance. Lower server power consumption. Same introductory processor price. Wow!

As excited as I am about our current products, I can’t resist the temptation to mention the Six-Core AMD Opteron^TM EE processors (codenamed “Lisbon”) that we’re planning to introduce next year. These six-core processors are planned to have a rated power consumption of less than 40W – that’s lower than the rated power consumption of most of today’s quad-core mobile processors. A processor that combines the registered memory and RAS (reliability, availability, and serviceability) features of a server processor with the power consumption of a mobile processor?

I think that I’ll be typing “Wow!” again next year.

Whether you think of “flexibility” as the ability to host more virtual machines using a Six-Core AMD Opteron^TM 8400 Series processor-based server, or you view “efficiency” as the capability to achieve higher performance while consuming less server power using Six-Core AMD Opteron^TM 2419 EE processors, it’s clear that servers using AMD’s Direct Connect Architecture are ideal for the next generation of computing.

To find out more about AMD Virtualization^TM (AMD-V^TM) technology and AMD Opteron^TM processors, visit us at booth 1408 at VMworld or visit www.amd.com/virtualization.

                             Andy Parma is a Product Marketing Manager for Server/Workstation products at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

¹Based on 30 tiles x 6 VMs for 48-core HP ProLiant DL785 G6 server, as tested using the VMmark benchmark (http://www.vmware.com/products/vmmark/results.html).

²Pricing for Quad-Core AMD Opteron^TM processor Model 2384 reflects 1kU tray pricing on www.amd.com as of November 2008. Pricing for Six-Core AMD Opteron^TM processor Model 2419 EE reflects 1kU tray pricing on www.amd.com as of August 2009.