Shanghai looking good for AMD

While it still hasn't officially launched yet, AMD's upcoming 45-nm Shanghai CPU for servers is already gettingpositive reviews from system integrators (SIs). The processor has shipped in limited quantities ahead of schedule, giving SIs an opportunity to test the processor. The CPU reportedly offers a performance improvement of up to 35% over Barcelona, while consuming 30% less power thanks to its smaller manufacturing process. "I can see the AMD percentage of our sales increasing dramatically with Shanghai," said Philip Pokorny, chief hardware architect for Penguin Computing (Fremont, Calif.) an integrator focused on the HPC market. "Before Barcelona our business was 70 percent AMD processors and 30 percent Intel, but there was a reversal and now I am hoping we get to parity," he said, speaking at a panel of integrators gathered here by AMD. 

One key advantage Shanghai boasts over Intel is compatibility. The chip is a drop-in replacement for Barcelona, no new motherboards or chipset is needed. Nehalem requires a new motherboard and chipset to run.

So when will we see AMD's first 45-nm desktop CPU? That's an open question. The company has stated that the first processors would ship by the end of this year, but some roadmaps have suggested a launch in January next year at CES.