Google goes Opteron
Google has become an Opteron convert despite having Intel CEO Paul Otellini on its board, says an analyst report.
According to The Register, Mark Edelstone at Morgan Stanley has Google shifting into Opteron or bust mode. Google has turned to AMD`s speedy 64-bit chip for performance and power saving gains, he said in a research report. If true, such a shift away from Intel`s Xeon would be a huge boost for AMD and the server vendor or vendors Google has picked.
The analyst backs what AMD has long claimed and proven in various tests - that it has a serious performance per watt advantage over Intel. Power savings have risen to priority number one at Google as energy costs and energy supply have become constraints. The analyst added that Sun was the likely supplier of the Opteron gear.
AMD boosts Opteron speed, plans `Rev F` models
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) plans to announce three new 2.6GHz Opteron models today, the newest step in its steady effort to encroach on a market that rival Intel once had to itself, reports CNet.
The new dual-core Opteron models 185, 285 and 885 run at 2.6GHz and show performance improvements of about 4% to 15% compared with earlier top-end models running at 2.4GHz, said Brent Kerby, AMD`s Opteron product marketing manager.
The announcement comes a day before AMD`s top competitor begins its twice-annual Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. The 185 model is for single-processor systems and will be available within 30 days, at which point pricing will be announced.
iTunes push for Oscar short films
US movie fans are being offered the chance to download Oscar-nominated short films from iTunes. Film buffs have traditionally had little chance to view short films that are up for Hollywood`s biggest awards, reports the BBC.
But now all five nominees for the live action short film award have been put on iTunes. Made by some of the world`s most promising new film-makers, they range from 15 to 27 minutes long. They are currently only available to US users.
The nominated shorts include Our Time is Up, a US film about a therapist who finds out he has six weeks to live, and UK entry Cashback, about a supermarket night shift worker whose imagination runs wild. The other nominees are from Germany, Ireland and Iceland.
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