AMD has announced that leading x86 operating system (OS) and virtual infrastructure (VI) vendors are embracing support for AMD’s native Quad-Core AMD Opteron™ processor, code-named “Barcelona.” Microsoft, Novell, Red Hat, Sun Microsystems and VMware are optimizing their operating systems, virtual infrastructures and supporting tools and middleware to take full advantage of the increased efficiencies, performance and decreased power consumption enabled by AMD quad-core technology.

By working closely with leading operating system and virtual infrastructure vendors, AMD is providing customers with the ability to choose the environment that is best suited to their applications demands. Development efforts by operating system and virtual infrastructure vendors are primarily focused on leveraging enhanced power management, virtualization and multi-core features of the upcoming Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor. Since its introduction, the AMD Opteron processor has become a platform of choice on the road maps of operating systems from Windows®, Linux® and Solaris™ as well as that of VMware Infrastructure.

“AMD and leading operating system and virtual infrastructure vendors are working together to provide a non-disruptive upgrade path to help enable the mainstream adoption of quad-core technology,” said Terri Hall, vice president, Commercial Systems Marketing, AMD. “Operating system and virtual infrastructure support is the cornerstone for ensuring a robust software ecosystem. Our goal is to deliver a computing platform that offers our customers choice, increased application performance and performance-per-watt, and improved operational efficiency.”

Microsoft Windows Server, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from Novell, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Sun Microsystems' Solaris Operating System and VMware Infrastructure are expected to offer versions of their industry-leading operating systems and virtual infrastructures that work out-of-the-box with “Barcelona,” the industry’s first native x86 quad-core processors, providing improved performance across a range of applications. “Barcelona’s” enhancements, which will offer increased application performance within the same platform and power envelope as existing dual-core processors, include native quad-core capabilities, Enhanced AMD PowerNow!™ technology and Rapid Virtualization Indexing (formally “Nested Paging”), which is a new feature of AMD Virtualization™ technology.

“Microsoft has worked closely with AMD to ensure that Windows Server is optimized to take full advantage of the new processor features offered by Barcelona,” said Bill Laing, general manager of Microsoft’s Windows Server division. “Windows Server 2003 R2 provides full support for the enhanced power management capabilities of Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors today, and the upcoming release of Windows Server 2008 will offer additional power savings and increased performance when it is available.”

“SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1 is the first production-level operating system to support Barcelona’s enhanced virtualization feature, Rapid Virtualization Indexing,” said Roger Levy, senior vice president and general manager of Open Platform Solutions for Novell.

“Novell continues to work hard to provide customers with innovative solutions at the front of the market, as we are again one of the first Linux vendors to embrace new technology offered by AMD. We look forward to leveraging future AMD innovations to benefit customers.”

“Sun has a long history of providing solutions that define innovation,” said Marc Hamilton, vice president of Solaris Marketing, Sun Microsystems. “The free and open Solaris 10 Operating System is leveraging more than 20 y