2004 review: AMD battles Intel for processor crown

 

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Posted on 22 Dec 2004 at 13:33

Meanwhile for AMD, 90nm process technology will supersede current 130nm offerings. The second half of 2005 should also see the increasing arrival of 90nm dual-core offerings: Toledo for the desktop, and Egypt, Italy and Denmark for the 800-, 200- and 100 series Opterons (for multi-, dual, and single-server systems). Not forgetting Roma, its low-voltage, 90nm offering for mobile processing...

But enough of speculation for 2005, what follows is a quick highlight of the major processor news in 2004.

January

Intel lifts lid on High Definition Audio specs

Intel gets involved in the SCO dispute

Record revenues drive Intel profits

Chip sales give AMD muscle to take on Intel

February

Sun signals closer technology ties with AMD

Flamboyant AMD founder Sanders steps down

Intel unleashes new 'Prescott' Pentium

Intel signals computation at the speed of light

IDF Spring 2004: Microsoft gives 64-bit backing to Intel

AMD introduces low-power Opterons

March

AMD saddles up Athlon 64 FX-53 at tech show

Intel settles EPIC Intergraph dispute

AMD's 'mainstream' Athlon 64 on general release

April

AMD's flash memory offshoot spawns whole new family

AMD settles patent dispute with Intergraph

AMD maintains profitable progress

Intel heightens High Definition Audio

AMD rolls out 90nm Opterons from its Dresden fab

May

AMD brings first low-voltage 64bit chips to laptops

Intel to launch Pentium 4 with 64 bit extensions 'in August'

AMD tops off $2.5bn Dresden manufacturing plant

June

AMD plots a 64-bit multi-core processor future

European Commission re-opens Intel probe

Intel preps Grantsdale for launch

AMD facing delays on launch of 90nm desktop processors

Intel looses Grantsdale, Alderwood, Pentiums and Celerons in launch bonanza

AMD wins move to access Intel docs for antitrust probe

Intel calls home flagship chipsets

Intel launches 64bit extended Xeon server chips

July

XP 64-bit beta is AMD only

AMD announces tablet chips

Sun bolsters x86 server line with AMD Opterons

AMD introduces Sempron range of value processors

August

AMD trumpets success of 90nm manufacturing transition

Intel brings tri-mode wireless networking to Centrino

Intel trumpets move towards 65 nanometer process