AMD released the last single-core Opteron chip

Stopping single-core Opteron production was a very important decision for AMD, because the processor line helped the company increase x86 server market share from 5.4% to 12.7% in the fourth quarter of last year.

Computer firms Hewlett-Packard (HP), Sun Microsystems and IBM still claim to integrate single-core Opteron 156, 256 and 856 in a number of workstations and servers. These three new chip models are preferred because they increase operating capacity from 2.8 GHz to 3.0 GHz while maintaining 95 watt consumption.

Sun Group plans to put 156 processor into the Sun Fire X2100 server line, while 256 will be used for systems containing 2 CPUs, including X4100 and X4200. They will also integrate the Opteron 856 in a 4-processor V40z server.

AMD is gradually turning to multi-core designs. In March, the company launched models of dual-core 185, 285 and 885, targeting the server and workstation markets.

TN