Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) is on schedule to deliver its first processors based on its advanced 65-nanometer manufacturing process in the fourth quarter this year.
The processors, to be manufactured at the company's plant in Dresden, Germany, will be targeted at notebook computers, PCs and servers, a spokesman said Friday.
AMD expects full conversion to 65-nm technology by the middle of next year from the current 90-nm technology. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, and the figure refers to the smallest features etched in the surface of each chip.
The new high-performance chips are designed to offer faster reaction times and use less energy than previous generations, the spokesman said.
The memory controller, for instance, is integrated into the processor, enabling direct communication with peripheral devices instead of having to pass through an external chip first, according to the spokesman. "Reaction times are noticeably faster in the new chips," he said.
The chips have also been designed to consume less energy in notebooks and servers alike. "Groups operating large server farms, such as ISPs, are particularly interested in computers that are energy efficient to drive down their operating costs," the spokesman said.
Development of 45-nm technology is also on track, he said, with the first processors expected later in 2008. AMD is collaborating with several partners, including IBM Corp., in the development of this new technology.
AMD and IBM are also cooperating in research new 22-nm technology.
AMD rival Intel Corp. is also moving to 65-nanometer production. The company released its dual-core 64-bit Xeon 7100 processor, which had been code-named Tulsa, at the end of August.