Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News

      Microsoft to Support AMDs Hammer

      By
      Peter Galli
      -
      April 24, 2002
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Wednesday will announce that Microsoft Corp. has agreed to support the chip makers upcoming 64-bit Hammer family of processors, sources said.

        The announcement will end months of speculation about whether Microsoft would provide the critical software support AMD has long sought in order to make its new architecture, debuting late this year, more appealing to enterprise customers.

        Although Microsoft has repeatedly refused to commit to supporting Hammer, an internal company memo viewed by eWEEK reveals the software maker began testing a 64-bit version of Windows XP on an early sample of AMDs new chip, also known by the code name K8, in February.

        “Today … we booted and are running the 64-bit versions of Windows XP on the AMD64 K8 system. … The hardware is unbelievably solid for a chip that just popped out of the oven a mere month ago,” it states.

        The memo, dated Feb. 7, was sent from Dave Cutler, a senior Distinguished Engineer with the Windows Base Team, to Microsoft executives including Chairman Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer.

        The memo goes on to say that “in addition to running the 64-bit system, we can dual boot into the 32-bit version of XP as well on the very same hardware without any changes.”

        A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment on the accuracy of the memo. “We never, as a matter of policy, comment on leaked memos, but we are currently evaluating the Hammer technology. There is obviously a lot of interest out there, and you can expect an announcement on our plans for this sooner rather than later,” he told eWEEK in an interview.

        The software giants backing gives AMD a significant boost in its efforts to compete against longtime Microsoft ally Intel Corp., which released its first 64-bit Itanium processor last year. Microsoft has long promoted its support for Itanium, and last year released a 64-bit Windows operating system in support of it.

        Unlike Itanium, which features dramatically new architecture, AMDs Hammer is based on the X86 design thats currently featured in todays most popular PC processors, such as Intels Pentium and AMDs Athlon product lines.

        While Intel claims Itaniums unique design gives it unbeatable performance advantages, the processors lack of compatibility with todays commonly used 32-bit applications is believed to have hurt its widespread adoption.

        AMD, which contends Hammer will be fully compatible with existing 32-bit applications as well as emerging 64-bit versions, is betting that corporate customers seeking to leverage their existing software while they move to 64-bit computing will prefer its solution.

        In an ironic twist, Intels success in getting Microsoft to design software for Itanium may have made it easier for the software maker to design an OS for AMDs Hammer, one analyst said.

        “The real challenge in moving Windows to Itanium was in utilizing 64-bit addressing,” said Nathan Brookwood, with Insight 64 in Saratoga, Calif. “Once Microsoft had done it for Itanium, moving it to another 64-bit platform was a simpler and more straightforward task.”

        (Although Microsoft and Compaq Computer Corp. developed a 64-bit Windows NT for the computer makers Alpha servers, Brookwood contends the design didnt fully utilize the 64-bit features as Windows for Itanium does.)

        The new 64-bit chips are competing for the newly emerging and potentially lucrative market for high-end Windows-based servers. Currently, Unix-based vendors such as Sun Microsystems Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. and IBM dominate the market for 64-bit systems, which can handle vast amounts of memory and process thousands of transactions simultaneous.

        But in coming years, growth of Windows-based servers are expected to surge as companies using Microsoft compatible business applications look to build out their infrastructures through the addition of 64-bit systems.

        In a release Tuesday promoting Wednesdays news conference, AMD, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., said it would “announce two significant developments related to Hammer as AMD marches toward the future of 64-bit computing and where it would answer the 64-bit question.”

        In addition to announcing Microsofts support, sources said, AMD is expected to announce under what brand name it will market its newest chip.

        AMD representatives declined to comment on the announcement beyond merely repeating what the company stated in the release.

        Microsofts support for Hammer comes just two months after SuSE Linux AG, one of the worlds leading providers of Linux operating systems, announced it would support the new chip.

        Microsofts fear of losing a greater share of the enterprise market to Linux likely played into its decision, said one industry analyst.

        “I think the announcement by SuSE probably got Microsoft off their dime,” said Kevin Krewell, an analyst with Cahners MDR/In-Stat in Sunnyvale, Calif. “Hammer will be playing into the one- and two-server space, and I dont think Microsoft wants to see Linux gain any more traction in that area.”

        Related stories:

        • Intel Recommits to Itanium
        • 64-Bit CPUs: What You Need to Know
        Peter Galli
        Peter Galli has been a financial/technology reporter for 12 years at leading publications in South Africa, the UK and the US. He has been Investment Editor of South Africa's Business Day Newspaper, the sister publication of the Financial Times of London.He was also Group Financial Communications Manager for First National Bank, the second largest banking group in South Africa before moving on to become Executive News Editor of Business Report, the largest daily financial newspaper in South Africa, owned by the global Independent Newspapers group.He was responsible for a national reporting team of 20 based in four bureaus. He also edited and contributed to its weekly technology page, and launched a financial and technology radio service supplying daily news bulletins to the national broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, which were then distributed to some 50 radio stations across the country.He was then transferred to San Francisco as Business Report's U.S. Correspondent to cover Silicon Valley, trade and finance between the US, Europe and emerging markets like South Africa. After serving that role for more than two years, he joined eWeek as a Senior Editor, covering software platforms in August 2000.He has comprehensively covered Microsoft and its Windows and .Net platforms, as well as the many legal challenges it has faced. He has also focused on Sun Microsystems and its Solaris operating environment, Java and Unix offerings. He covers developments in the open source community, particularly around the Linux kernel and the effects it will have on the enterprise.He has written extensively about new products for the Linux and Unix platforms, the development of open standards and critically looked at the potential Linux has to offer an alternative operating system and platform to Windows, .Net and Unix-based solutions like Solaris.His interviews with senior industry executives include Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Linus Torvalds, the original developer of the Linux operating system, Sun CEO Scot McNealy, and Bill Zeitler, a senior vice president at IBM.For numerous examples of his writing you can search under his name at the eWEEK Website at www.eweek.com.
        Get the Free Newsletter!
        Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
        This email address is invalid.
        Get the Free Newsletter!
        Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
        This email address is invalid.

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Latest News

        Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

        James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
        I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
        Read more
        Applications

        Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

        James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
        I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
        Read more
        IT Management

        Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

        James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
        I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
        Read more
        Applications

        Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

        James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
        I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
        Read more
        Cloud

        IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

        James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
        I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
        Read more
        Logo

        eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Advertisers

        Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

        Advertise with Us

        Menu

        • About eWeek
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Latest News

        Our Brands

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms
        • About
        • Contact
        • Advertise
        • Sitemap
        • California – Do Not Sell My Information

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

        ×