AMD Opens Socket Specs

By Colleen Taylor -- Electronic News, 9/21/2006

Advanced Micro Devices is ready to open up. This week, the microprocessor provider unveiled the Torrenza Innovation Socket Initiative for many of their current and future server platforms.

This approach is expected to allow OEMs to consolidate server offerings for multiple processors to potentially a single platform, and allow third-party silicon makers to create their own socket-compatible chips for AMD's x86 base.

While AMD did not specify the terms of future licensing contributions, its newest specification is approaching an open industry standard: OEMs will be able to contribute to and obtain the Torrenza Innovation socket specification and associated design documentation.

This week’s debut is the latest addition to AMD’s Torrenza initiative, which provides a way for others to connect their technology directly to AMD chips through the company's HyperTransport interface. At its debut in June, the Torrenza initiative opened up AMD’s processors by letting companies plug in their coprocessors via an external connection called "HTX."

Previously, a separate design was typical in coprocessors; with AMD's approach, the time and cost of taking the coprocessor route can potentially be reduced.

The new program already has a serious fan base. Server OEMs that develop silicon or intend to design products uniquely enabled by the Torrenza initiative, including Cray, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, HP, IBM, Dell and Sun Microsystems, have endorsed Torrenza as an open innovation initiative, and plan to evaluate the Torrenza Innovation Socket.

The chip maker is anticipating the latest Torrenza development to make a big splash. "Together, we recognize that the impact of Torrenza can be far-reaching across the industry in reducing complexity for customers while increasing the pace of innovation both in silicon and platforms,” Marty Seyer, senior VP of AMD’s commercial segment, said in a statement. 

“Datacenter managers will immediately recognize the impact of the Torrenza open environment,” he added.

The finance world is recognizing AMD’s progress as well. AMD’s latest moves have “bolstered its profile in the enterprise,” Wall Street watcher Lehman Brothers said in a statement and the firm expects to see AMD “trending solidly” for Q3.