HP To Use AMD Chip In New Blade PCs

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company said its HP bc1500 blade PC will also feature its BladeSystem and Consolidated Client Infrastructure (CCI) management technology, and run using an AMD Athlon 64 processor.

Pricing for the AMD-based systems was not immediately available, but HP's list price on the HP bc 1000, which used the Transmeta chip, was listed at $820.

In a statement, company executives said they expect annual growth in the thin client space to hit 69 percent, and said the ultra-low power version of the Athlon 64 chip would provide improved performance on the platform. The company said the new units would consume a "small fraction" of the power of traditional desktops.

HP's decision to use its processors would mark another win for Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD, the chip maker which owns the second-highest PC processor market share to rival Intel, Santa Clara, Calif.

While AMD has been steadily growing market share largely due largely to the success of its 64-bit processors for desktops and servers, the company is also suing Intel for what it says are unfair actions in allegedly restraining its ability to make deals with original equipment manufacturers. Intel has denied the charges, and has pointed to AMD's own recent successes as running counter to their allegations.