Here we were, thinking that AMD was again going to be relegated to underdog position as Intel pushed forward with 65nm and 45nm. For all intents and purposes, it seemed they may have been years behind. Apparently, they are a lot closer than that, with AMD's new manufacturing chief saying that 45nm will be here in the second half of 2008. That's only a year after Intel, a much quicker transition than expected:
"Sixty-five (nanometers) is kind of old hat. The focus is on 45," Grose said in an interview, adding that AMD's chip factory in Dresden, Germany was testing 45-nanometer chips. "They are very much on or ahead of their schedule right now," Grose said. "We'll be producing early products probably in Q2 of 2008, with full production in the second half."
Given that they are already doing well in the power department, their last area of improvement would be a core revision, given the trouncing Core 2 is putting on them right now. They've already promised that, but we've yet to see any figures or chips out on the market. AMD is apparently still deciding on how to go about achieving a 45nm process - they may license the technology from IBM, as announced last week.