It’s been rumored that AMD has problems with its 65nm process, a process which will bring its K8 architecture to whole new levels and above all become a threat to Intel’s Core architecture. There haven’t been any real details about what the problems were, something The Inquirer now claims it has information about. It’s suppose to be the 65nm processor’s default voltage that is the problem as AMD has been unable to keep it as low as it first anticipated. A smaller manufacturing process will make it possible to lower the voltage and thus lower the power consumption. But AMD’s guideline at 1.1V is currently at 1.4V with today’s 65nm models.
This is 62% higher than calculated and is guaranteed to be a real disappointment to AMD as it was aiming to radically improve its processor’s performance/watt ratio. As usual this is inofficial information to be considered with a pinch of salt, but there still seems to be a lot of work to do with optimizing AMD’s 65nm process before it is ready for the market, which is suppose to be during the last quarter.
