AMD Aims For The Cloud With Opteron 6300 Launch

AMD today launched the Opteron 6300 series processors designed for virtualised server platforms.

Based on the Piledriver architecture, the new processors could be used in private and public cloud deployments, big data systems and high-performance computing (HPC) clusters.

AMD called the new hardware ‘cost effective’, and said the higher performance per watt capabilities could help organisations lower the total cost of ownership of IT infrastructure.

Cloudy with a chance of Piledriver

According to AMD, the processors make mincemeat of Java applications, and show industry-leading performance in the SPECjbb2005 server benchmark. They achieve up to 24 percent higher results than the previous generation Opteron processors, while offering up to 40 percent higher performance per watt, AMD said.

“Across global IT organisations, cost-effective, scalable performance is a core requirement to support cloud computing, server consolidation and highly-threaded workloads common in HPC, big data and other areas,” said Suresh Gopalakrishnan, general manager of Server Business Unit at AMD.

“The key to a winning solution for customers is working with OEMs and other solution providers to minimise TCO with a combination of cost effectiveness and superior performance per watt,” he added.

AMD has launched ten processors in total, with top-of-the-line 6386 S model offering up to 3.5 GHz base frequency, increased to 3.8 GHz when used with AMD Turbo CORE technology.

The Opteron chips can have up to 16 cores per socket for scaling in thread-intensive environments, and feature AMD-V technology for near-native performance in virtualised environments, resulting in lower cost per virtual machine. They are also the only x86 processors on the market to support ultralow voltage 1.25v memory.

Systems based on the on the Opteron 6300 processors are already available from Cray, SGI, Supermicro, ASUS, ClusterVision and others. Dell and HP are expected to offer their own hardware featuring the new chips before the end of the year.

“Greater performance levels, increased agility and innovations that deliver business value and productivity are fundamental requirements for our clients’ success,” said Jim Ganthier vice president of Marketing and Operations at HP. “The new AMD Opteron 6300 Series processors in HP’s industry leading ProLiant server portfolio meet those requirements, supporting demanding workloads that ensure enterprise productivity with lower lifecycle costs.”

Systems that are part of AMD’s own “Roadrunner” platform, developed for the Open Compute Project, will be available in the first quarter of 2013.

Last month, AMD announced it will be cutting 15 percent of its staff in an effort to stay profitable as the PC market continues to decline. Two weeks later, the company revealed it would be partnering with ARM to use its energy-efficient architecture in the future Opteron server processors.

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