AMD Athlon Processor Rockets to 1GHz; AMD Reaches Industry Landmark; Announces 1GHz -- 1,000 MHz -- AMD Athlon Processor.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 6, 2000 First Commercially Available Systems Will be Available From Compaq & Gateway AMD (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, www.amd.com) A major manufacturer of semiconductor devices including x86-compatible CPUs, embedded processors, flash memories, programmable logic devices and networking chips. today reached a computer industry milestone, announcing commencement of shipments of 1GHz AMD Athlon(TM) processors. The first commercially available systems based on the 1GHz AMD Athlon processor will be available from Compaq Computer Corporation (company) Compaq Computer Corporation - The largest US manufacturer and vendor of IBM PC compatible personal computers and servers. Compaq was started in 1982 by three ex-Texas Instruments employees. Quarterly sales $2499M, profits $210M (Aug 1994). http://compaq.com/. and Gateway. "The commencement of commercial shipments of 1GHz AMD Athlon processors is a watershed watershed, elevation or divide separating the catchment area, or drainage basin, of one river system or group of river systems from another system or group of systems. The term is also often used synonymously with drainage basin. event not only for AMD, but also for the personal computer industry," said W.J. Sanders III, chairman and chief executive officer of AMD. "Attaining the 1GHz performance mark has long been a paramount goal for producers of PC processors. Introduction of a PC processor capable of executing one billion clock cycles per second is our industry's equivalent of breaking the sound barrier. Just as the achievement of Chuck Yeager  This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved. signaled the
beginning of a new era in aviation, the 1GHz processor ushers in a new
era of information technology. AMD plans to lead in the gigahertz One billion cycles per second. See GHz. (unit) GigaHertz - (GHz) Billions of cycles per second. The unit of frequency used to measure the clock rate of modern digital logic, including microprocessors. era. "Today's announcement validates our strategic investment in process technology, product development and productive capacity over the past several years. The 1GHz AMD Athlon processor would not have been possible without AMD's steadfast commitment. As always, our customers' success is our success. While this is a significant event for AMD, the real beneficiaries of our efforts are PC users everywhere," continued Sanders. At 1GHz, the AMD Athlon processor offers business and power computer users blazing performance for the most highly demanding applications of today and tomorrow. "Every schoolchild recognizes Neil Armstrong as the first man to walk on the moon, Roger Bannister Noun 1. Roger Bannister - English runner who in 1954 became the first person to run a mile in less than four minutes (born in 1929) Bannister, Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister as the first to run the four-minute mile, and Edmund Hillary as the first to scale Mt. Everest. Nobody remembers who got there second. Today's launch of the 1GHz AMD Athlon processor permanently secures AMD's place in the record books. In the nine months since it launched its first AMD Athlon processor, AMD has dramatically quickened the pace of performance improvement and permanently altered the competitive landscape in the microprocessor industry. Congratulations on a job well done," said Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight 64. "The pioneering spirit that invigorates the computer industry is exemplified again today, as AMD and Compaq break the 1GHz frequency barrier. By announcing models of the Presario family that support the 1GHz AMD Athlon processor, we continue to enhance Compaq's image as an undisputed technology leader in the consumer PC environment," said Michael Larson Paul Michael Larson (May 10, 1949 – February 16, 1999) was a contestant on the United States television game show Press Your Luck. Larson's claim to fame was his winning $110,237 in cash and prizes, which he was able to do by memorizing the patterns used on the , senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Products Division, Compaq Computer Corporation. "Gateway's systems developed around this new technology are available today and will help usher in Verb 1. usher in - be a precursor of; "The fall of the Berlin Wall ushered in the post-Cold War period" inaugurate, introduce commence, lead off, start, begin - set in motion, cause to start; "The U.S. a new era of computing possibilities," said Peter Ashkin, chief technology officer at Gateway. "The implications of AMD delivering an astounding a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, 1GHz processor will be far reaching. Not only will the processor enable tremendous performance for the most processor-intensive applications available, but also it may drive the creation of new applications that can take advantage of speed and performance." Pricing and Availability AMD is currently shipping its 1GHz AMD Athlon processors priced at $1,299 in 1,000 unit quantities. AMD is also announcing the availability of 950MHz (MegaHertZ) One million cycles per second. It is used to measure the transmission speed of electronic devices, including channels, buses and the computer's internal clock. A one-megahertz clock (1 MHz) means some number of bits (16, 32, 64, etc. and 900MHz AMD Athlon processors. The 950MHz AMD Athlon processor is priced at $999 in 1,000 unit quantities. The 900MHz AMD Athlon processor is priced at $899 in 1,000 unit quantities. Visit AMD on the Web For more information about the 1GHz, 950MHz and 900MHz AMD Athlon processors, please visit our virtual pressroom at http://www.onegigahertz.com or visit http://www.amd.com/athlon/. Additional press releases and information about AMD are available at http://www.amd.com/news/news.html. AMD Athlon(TM) Processor Awards Around the World The AMD Athlon processor and AMD Athlon processor-based systems have received more than 50 awards from countries spanning the continents. The following is a listing of the AMD Athlon processor and AMD Athlon processor-based system awards: AMD Athlon Processor Awards
-- Analyst's Choice Award -- Best PC Processor, Microprocessor
Report, January 2000
-- Technical Excellence -- Best Component (Hardware Category), PC
Magazine, November 1999
-- CPU of the Year, Maximum PC, December 1999
-- Best Product of 1999 (Hardware), Windows NT Systems, January 2000
-- All-Star Award, Cadalyst, December 1999
-- Wired for 3D Editors' Choice, 3D Magazine, January 2000
-- Attaboy Award -- Product of the Year, Houston Chronicle, December
1999
-- Technical Excellence -- Best Component (Hardware Category), PC
Magazine en Espanol, December 1999
-- Best Overall Product of the Year, PC Magazine (UK), December 1999
-- Best System Design -- Processor, PC Magazine (UK), December 1999
-- Product of the Year, PC Expert (France), January 2000
-- Technical Excellence -- Hardware and Component Category, PC
Expert (France), January 2000
-- Year 2000 Star Product (New Technology Category), Info PC
(France), January 2000
-- Overall Product of the Year, Info PC (France), January 2000
-- Editors' Choice, Generation PC (France), January 2000
-- Product of the Year, PC Compatibles (France), December 1999
-- Product of the Year -- Processor, PC Direct (France), January
2000
-- Product of the Year 2000, PC Achat (France), January 2000
-- Product of the Year, PC World (Denmark), December 1999
-- Product of the Year, PC World (Norway), December 1999
-- Best CPU for Desktops, PC World Komputer (Poland), December 1999
-- Technology Product of the Year, PC Kurier (Poland), January 2000
-- Millennium Award, Personal Computer Magazine (The Netherlands),
January 2000
-- Best of Comdex (Israel), December 1999
-- Best of World PC Expo 99 (Japan), Nikkei BYTE/Nikkei WinPC
Magazine, September 1999
-- Hardware of the Year Award -- Processors (Germany) PC Joker
Magazine
-- Readers Choice Award (Poland), CHIP Magazine
-- Product of the Year Award (Finland), MikroPC, December 1999
-- Product of the Year Award -- Processors (700MHz AMD Athlon
processor) (Finland), Tietokone, December 1999
-- Best Product of 1999 (China), China Computerworld, January 2000
-- Top 10 IT Product in 1999 (China), China Computer Reseller
Weekly, January 2000
-- Highly Recommended Hardware, eNet, January 2000
-- Upgrade Product of 1999 (Australia), Australian Personal
Computer, November 1999
-- Trend Setting Hardware Technology (1.1GHz AMD Athlon technology
demonstration), CHIP magazine, February 2000
-- Most Innovative Manufacturer (AMD for the AMD Athlon processor)
(Germany), PC Direct, February 2000
-- Reader's Choice -- Most Innovative Hardware (Germany), PC
Shopping, February 2000
-- Reader's Choice -- Company of the Year (AMD for the AMD Athlon
processor (Germany), PC Shopping, February 2000
-- Innovation of the Year 99-00 Finalist (Germany), PC
Professionell, February 2000
-- Grand Prix Award (Croatia), VIDI Magazine, February 2000
-- Best CPU -- Hi-End Use (800MHz AMD Athlon processor)
-- Best CPU -- Games (800MHz AMD Athlon processor)
-- Best CPU -- Office Use (800MHz AMD Athlon processor)
AMD Athlon Processor-based System Awards
-- State-of-the-Art Desktop PC: Compaq Presario 5861, PC Computing,
November 1999
-- Editors' Choice Award (Desktop PCs): TCE K7-600, Computer
Reseller News, September 1999
-- No. 1 Midrange PC: Micro Express's MicroFlex-550B, PC World,
January 2000
-- Best Hardware of 1999: Polywell Poly 800K7-700, CNET.com,
December 1999
-- System of the Year: CyberMax Enthusiast AP6 650 MHz AMD Athlon,
Maximum PC, December 1999
-- Attaboy Award -- Best Consumer PC: Compaq Presario 5900Z, Houston
Chronicle, December 1999
-- Cadalyst Labs 5-Star (out of a possible 5 stars) Highly
Recommended Workstation:
-- Polywell 800K7-6501 (650MHz AMD Athlon processor)
-- Sys Performance 600A (600MHz AMD Athlon processor)
-- Xi Computer 650K MTower SP (650MHz AMD Athlon processor)
-- Ultimate Game Machine (co-winner): Falcon Northwest Computers,
Computer Gaming World, December 1999.
About the AMD Athlon Processor The AMD Athlon processor is an x86-compatible, seventh-generation design featuring a superpipelined, nine-issue superscalar A CPU architecture that allows more than one instruction to be executed in one clock cycle. See pipeline processing. (architecture) superscalar - A superscalar architecture is a uniprocessor that can execute two or more scalar operations in parallel. microarchitecture optimized for high clock frequency; the industry's first fully pipelined, superscalar floating point unit for x86 platforms See x86 chip platform. ; high-performance cache technology, including 128KB of on-chip level (L1) cache and a programmable, high-performance backside BACKSIDE, estates. In England this term was formerly used in conveyances and even in pleadings, and is still, adhered to with reference to ancient descriptions in deeds, in continuing the transfer of the same. property. L2 cache (Level 2 cache) A memory bank built into the CPU chip, packaged within the same module or built on the motherboard. The L2 cache feeds the L1 cache, and its memory is slower than L1 memory. The L2 cache feeds the L1 cache, which feeds the processor. interface; enhanced 3DNow!(TM) technology with 24 additional instructions A charge given to a jury by a judge after the original instructions to explain the law and guide the jury in its decision making. Additional instructions are frequently needed after the jury has begun deliberations and finds that it has a question concerning the evidence, a designed to improve integer integer: see number; number theory math calculations, data movement for Internet streaming, and DSP (1) (Digital Signal Processor) A special-purpose CPU used for digital signal processing applications (see definition #2 below). It provides ultra-fast instruction sequences, such as shift and add, and multiply and add, which are commonly used in math-intensive communications; and the AMD Athlon system bus -- a 200MHz system interface based on the Alpha(TM) EV6 bus protocol with support for scalable multiprocessing multiprocessing Mode of computer operation in which two or more processors (see CPU) are connected and are active at the same time. In such a system, each processor is executing a different program or set of instructions, thus increasing computation speed over a . AMD Athlon processors are manufactured using AMD's aluminum 0.18-micron process technology in Fab 25 in Austin, Texas. About AMD AMD is a global supplier of integrated circuits Integrated circuits Miniature electronic circuits produced within and upon a single semiconductor crystal, usually silicon. Integrated circuits range in complexity from simple logic circuits and amplifiers, about 1/20 in. (1. for the personal and networked computer and communications markets. AMD produces processors, flash memories and products for communications and networking applications. AMD processors, including the AMD-K6(R)-2 and AMD Athlon product families, power computers manufactured by nine of the Top 10 computer manufacturers worldwide. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. PC Data Hardware Report for January 2000, AMD's mobile processors are used in more than 65 percent of notebook computers A laptop computer that weighs in a range from five to seven pounds. The term originated when laptops were routinely more than 10 pounds, and those that became lighter were placed in a special "notebook" category. In practice, notebook computer and laptop computer are synonymous. sold in the retail market to consumers and small businesses. Founded in 1969 and based in Sunnyvale, AMD had revenues of $2.9 billion in 1999. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :AMD). Cautionary Statement This release contains forward-looking statements forward-looking statement A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections. , which are made pursuant to the safe harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. Forward-looking statements are generally preceded by words such as "plans," "expects," "believes," "anticipates" or "intends." Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements in this release involve risks and uncertainty that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations, including the risk that AMD will not achieve its plans for continued industry leadership in processor performance. We urge investors to review in detail the risks and uncertainties in the company's filings with the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. Securities Exchange Commission. Note to Editors: AMD, the AMD logo, AMD Athlon, K6, 3DNow! and combinations thereof are trademarks, and AMD-K6 is a registered trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. in the U.S. and other jurisdictions. Alpha is a trademark of Digital Equipment Corporation. Other product names used in this publication are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion