Microsoft releases server software for AMD Athlon 64

By Alun Williams

Posted on 16 Oct 2003 at 12:08

Microsoft has extended its support for AMD's 64-bit processor, the Athlon 64.

Accompanying the launch of AMD's 64-bit x86-based processor, back on 23 September, Microsoft released a beta of 64-bit Windows XP for Athlon 64. And it has now announced a beta for the server side, specifically Windows Server 2003 for 64-Bit Extended Systems, which supports the AMD64 architecture.

While this continuing support for AMD's 64-bit processor will not have pleased the other half of the old wintel alliance, Microsoft also announced an offering for Intel's 64-bit server chip, the Itanium. It has added a Standard Edition of Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based systems alongside the existing Enterprise and Datacenter editions for the Itanium processor family.

The new beta software for both the AMD and Intel 64-bit processors has been made available to MSDN subscribers, with general public access to follow.

While the AMD Opteron server processor was the industry's first 64-bit, x86 architecture chip, the Athlon64 brings AMD's eighth-generation processor core to the desktop arena. Being x86-based, it enables existing 32-bit applications to run unchanged, which potentially smooths the migration to 64-bit computing.