AMD Athlon Processor Rockets to 1GHz; AMD Reaches Industry Landmark; Announces 1GHz — 1,000 MHz — AMD Athlon Processor - Company Business and Marketing

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, March 13, 2000

AMD Monday reached a computer industry milestone, announcing commencement of shipments of 1GHz AMD Athlon processors.

The first commercially available systems based on the 1GHz AMD Athlon processor will be available from Compaq Computer Corporation and Gateway.

"The commencement of commercial shipments of 1GHz AMD Athlon processors is a watershed 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 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 era.

"Monday'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 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. Monday'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 Monday, 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, 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 a new era of computing possibilities," said Peter Ashkin, chief technology officer at Gateway. "The implications of AMD delivering an astounding 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 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.

For more information about the 1GHz, 950MHz and 900MHz AMD Athlon processors, go to http://www.onegigahertz.com or visit http://www.amd.com/athlon/.> The AMD Athlon processor is an x86-compatible, seventh-generation design featuring a superpipelined, nine-issue superscalar microarchitecture optimized for high clock frequency; the industry's first fully pipelined, superscalar floating point unit for x86 platforms; high-performance cache technology, including 128KB of on-chip level (L1) cache and a programmable, high-performance backside L2 cache interface; enhanced 3DNow! technology with 24 additional instructions designed to improve integer math calculations, data movement for Internet streaming, and DSP communications; and the AMD Athlon system bus -- a 200MHz system interface based on the Alpha EV6 bus protocol with support for scalable multiprocessing. AMD Athlon processors are manufactured using AMD's aluminum 0.18-micron process technology in Fab 25 in Austin, Texas.

AMD is a global supplier of integrated circuits 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-K6-2 and AMD Athlon product families, power computers manufactured by nine of the Top 10 computer manufacturers worldwide. According to PC Data Hardware Report for January 2000, AMD's mobile processors are used in more than 65 percent of notebook computers 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:AMD).

COPYRIGHT 2000 EDGE Publishing

COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group