AMD's Chip Roadmaps: Beyond Barcelona
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Advanced Micro Devices is finally on the verge of delivering its quad-core 'Barcelona' Rev F Opteron processors. AMD will be making the announcement in Silicon Valley on September 10, bringing its workstation and server processors more in line in terms of performance with Intel's quad-core Xeon family of processors. But what happens next? Intel is not exactly a sitting target like it was a few years ago. AMD is going to have to get its Opteron roadmap in order and hit targets to maintain, much less expand, its share of the profitable market for high-end X64 processors. READ MORE >

Server Sales in Q2 Reach Heights Not Seen Since 2000
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

The box counters at both IDC and Gartner have taken the pulse and blood pressure of the server market for the second quarter of 2007, and as far as they can tell, their patient hasn't been this healthy since the peak of the dot-com boom seven years ago. Server revenues are matching levels not seen since 2000, and shipments are continuing to grow, even if more slowly than in past quarters. READ MORE >

IBM Messes With System p 595 Prices, Tweaks Deals
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Sometimes, server makers do things that seem to make sense, and then they do things that are a bit odd. This week, odd is following sense when it comes to IBM's high-end System p 5 595 servers. A week ago, IBM shaved the prices on converting from a single-chassis p5 590 machine to a two-chassis p5 595 machine. This made sense. But raising the price on the base chassis in new p5 595 machines, as Big Blue did this week, doesn't make a lot of sense. READ MORE >

The X Factor: Economic Recession Is the IT Innovator's Ally
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

With the private equity markets drying up and the stock markets suffering from a bad case of jitters thanks to a financial crisis brought about by the writing of heaven knows how many bad home mortgages in the world, it is natural enough for everyone in the working world, as well as those who are retired, to be worried about economic recession. But not everyone will be worried. IT vendors looking to take on entrenched incumbents will, if history is any guide, do pretty well if a recession results from these financial shenanigans. READ MORE >