AMD Improves Opteron's Power

Processors will feature enhanced power management technology.

Robert McMillan, IDG News Service

Computers built with Advanced Micro Devices' Opteron processor soon will be able to take advantage of the same power management technology the company has already built into its laptop and desktop microchips.

Called PowerNow, this technology is a combination of microprocessor instructions and operating system software.

It increases or reduces the amount of power supplied to the chip depending on how much it is being used.

Cutting Costs

Similar in concept to the Cool'n'Quiet technology used in AMD desktop systems, PowerNow will be useful in the server systems, where it can save on electricity and cooling costs in data centers, says Margaret Lewis, consumer software strategist at AMD.

"It's kind of like the fan on your car knowing to kick in when your engine reaches a certain hotness," she says.

PowerNow instructions have actually been built into the Opteron processor since May, she says.

Customers who have already purchased systems based on these chips will be able to activate PowerNow via a BIOS (basic input output system) upgrade, available on AMD's Web site, when system support for PowerNow becomes generally available in the first half of 2005.