AMD on Wednesday demonstrated a dual-core AMD Athlon 64 processor manufactured on 90nm technology at the company`s Sunnyvale, California, facilities, showcasing a portfolio of multi-core AMD64 technology that ranges from server and workstation to client systems.

Future dual-core AMD Athlon 64 processor-based systems will offer businesses and consumers better compatibility, productivity and performance, says AMD, as well as a seamless upgrade path from single-core platforms.

Dual-core AMD64 technology enables advanced multi-tasking capabilities and multimedia performance, the company notes. For example, users will be able to burn CDs or DVDs while simultaneously unzipping compressed files and encoding high-resolution videos -- all while running security applications in the background.

``Client AMD64 dual-core technology will provide consumers and businesses a customer-centric approach with systems that deliver enhanced performance and a simple, non-disruptive upgrade path from single-core solutions,`` says said Marty Seyer, corporate vice president and general manager of the microprocessor business unit, Computation Products Group, in a statement.

Because AMD uses existing manufacturing processes to produce dual-core AMD64 processors, the power envelope for AMD dual-core processors is designed to fit into the current sockets and power infrastructures, the company explains.

In addition to its plans to introduce evolutionary multi-core AMD64 client processors later this year, AMD plans to continue to scale single-core AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Athlon 64 FX processors, as many applications, such as games, will continue to experience maximum performance on single-core processor systems, the company says.

``Dual-core technology is advancing the levels of performance and multi-tasking that can benefit businesses and consumers as soon as those processors become available,`` says Kevin Krewell, editor-in-chief, Microprocessor Report, In-Stat. ``Multi-core technology is the next frontier in microprocessor design, and AMD is clearly positioned as a leader to enable it to become pervasive.``

To date, AMD says it is the only company to publicly demonstrate an x86 dual-core server. AMD has been shipping production samples of dual-core AMD Opteron processors to partners since January and plans to introduce a dual-core processor line-up for the one-to eight-socket server and workstation markets in mid-2005 based on the existing 940-pin socket. AMD plans to bring client dual-core AMD64 processors, based on the existing 939-pin socket, to the market in the second half of 2005.

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