AMD unveils its Virtualization Technology specification

AMD today announced the broad availability of its I/O virtualization technology specification. Demonstrating continued leadership in evolving the industry-standard x86 processor architecture, AMD is making this technology available through royalty-free licenses that are designed to encourage its widespread adoption by hardware and software developers. By defining a set of technologies that can be directly built into a computer's I/O bridges, AMD's I/O virtualization technology is designed to extend the benefits of CPU-assisted virtualization by addressing the performance bottlenecks and security issues that can be encountered when virtualizing I/O devices in x86-based servers, desktops, and notebook computers.

AMD's collaborative approach to providing the industry with leading edge technology designed to enable virtualization solutions is also demonstrated through ongoing and strategic alliances with industry leaders including Microsoft, VMware and XenSource.

"Virtualization helps customers overcome the physical boundaries and underused capacity of IT systems, and is a key stepping stone for customers to increase operational efficiency and become more dynamic and responsive to business needs," said Jeff Price, senior director, Windows Server Division, Microsoft Corp. "Microsoft is working closely with AMD to help open the way for a new class of innovation, to make IT systems not only more cost effective, but also more secure, manageable, and interoperable."

AMD's CPU virtualization technology (formerly referred to by the code name "Pacifica") delivers CPU efficiencies to traditional software only-based virtualization approaches. AMD I/O virtualization technology complements and extends these efficiencies by providing mechanisms to support virtualization software in managing, partitioning, and securing I/O devices, which is anticipated to result in improved performance and less implementation complexity in providing I/O in virtual environments.

AMD's I/O virtualization technology is expected to be supported by all AMD processors in mid-2006, and is also anticipated to be implemented in chipsets and core logic designed for AMD64-based platforms in 2006.

The AMD I/O virtualization technology specification download, together with technology overviews and guidance to software developers who are designing virtualization solutions for 64-bit technology, can be found at AMD's developer website.