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AMD Opteron
Ravi Madapati
Faculty Member
Icfai Knowledge Center
continued : BACKGROUND NOTE
Finding new ways to compete led to the concept of AMD’s “Spheres of Influence.”
Those spheres were microprocessors compatible with IBM computers, networking and
communication chips, programmable logic devices, and high-performance memories.
The company realized its long-term survival depended on developing submicron
process technology
[1]
that would fill its manufacturing needs. By its 25th anniversary, AMD had gone a
long way towards meeting those goals. In Microsoft Windows compatible business,
the company began to produce its own versions of the wildly popular Am386 and
Am486 microprocessors. AMD also became a leading supplier of flash, EPROM,
networking, telecommunications and programmable logic chips.
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AMD’s growth through the late-1990s was fueled by new product development,
continued development of the manufacturing and process technologies necessary
for high-volume manufacturing, and strengthened relationships with strategic
partners. Relationships with infrastructure, software, technology, and OEM
partners enabled AMD to help lead the industry towards innovative new
platforms and products that hailed the return of competition to the
marketplace. In 1995, AMD and NexGen discussed ways to collaborate for
creating a family of microprocessors. These meetings led to the acquisition of
NexGen in 1996 and the development of AMD-K6 processor, which served as the
platform AMD required to deliver its next-generation processor. |
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The introduction of Athlon processor in 1999 marked the culmination of AMD’s
ambition of offering an industry leading, proprietary, Microsoft
Windows-compatible processor. The Athlon was the first processor to reach the
historic 1Ghz (1000MHz) mark. Athlon based systems received more than 100
prestigious awards from independent publications and organizations all over the
world.
Besides revitalizing its product portfolio, AMD also strengthened its
manufacturing capabilities. In 1995, AMD completed the construction of Fab 25 in
Austin, Texas. Before Fab 25 was completed, AMD laid the groundwork for its next
megafab in Dresden, Germany. A strategic partnership with Motorola enabled AMD
to become the first company to use copper interconnect technology to build
Microsoft Windows-compatible processors. The jointly developed process
technology provided the “recipe” required for AMD to produce consistently large
volumes of Athlon processors in Fab 30.
AMD continued development of flash memory technology, which was driving the
technology
boom at the time. Cellular phones and the Internet drove demand for flash
memory, but its usage became ubiquitous. AMD’s expansive portfolio of flash
memory devices addressed the memory needs of cell phones, automotive navigation
systems, Internet appliances, cable set top boxes, cable modems, and many other
applications.
By the end of 2002, AMD had manufacturing facilities at strategic locations
across the world in the US, Europe, Japan and Asia. Fab 30[2] , AMD’s $2 bn-plus,
state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Dresden, Germany, produced
high-performance microprocessors using leading-edge 130-nanometer process
technology. AMD’s Fab 25 in Austin, Texas produced Flash memory products using
130-and 170-nanometer technology[3] . Three Fujitsu AMD Semiconductor Ltd. (FASL),
joint venture manufacturing facilities in Aizu-Wakamatsu, Japan produced AMD’s
innovative, low-voltage flash memory devices.
Evolution of product line
Opteron
The road ahead
[1] The aggressiveness of a semiconductor process technology is determined from a combination of both the gate length and the
metal pitch of the microprocessor. Gate length helps determine the speed and robustness of the individual transistors, and the
metal pitch determines how compact the overall design can be. A metal pitch is the overall width, measured in microns, of a metal
line and single adjacent space. Sub-micron technology enables to reduce the width of the metal pitch to very small size.
[2]
Fab in semiconductor industry means fabrication facility
[3] A nanometer is a unit of spatial measurement that is 10-9 meter or one-billionth of a meter. It is commonly used in
nanotechnology, the building of extremely small machines.
© Icfai Press. Global CEO •
December 2003, All Rights
Reserved.
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