Microsoft and AMD have an agreement to jointly support flexible business models for emerging markets powered by Microsoft FlexGo technology. The initiative reflects both companies' efforts to bring affordable access to technology to consumers around the world.
At the 2006 Microsoft Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Seattle, the companies stated their commitment to support the initiative through a pilot program that provides consumers the opportunity to purchase PCs through a combination of innovative technology and a pay-as-you-go computing model. Microsoft's FlexGo technology will also be incorporated within key AMD microprocessor products.
The pay-as-you-go computing model enabled by Microsoft's FlexGo technology allows customers to have a fully featured PC at home by paying only for the time as they use it through the purchase of prepaid activation cards or tokens. Microsoft has been running trials of the program in Brazil for more than a year and will soon be expanding to select markets in India, Russia, China, and Mexico. As Microsoft's lead technology partner, AMD intends to develop processors designed specifically to support Microsoft FlexGo technology.
AMD Athlon 64 now available
AMD has also announced the immediate availability of the AMD Athlon 64 FX-62 dual-core processor and the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+dual-core processor compatible with AMD's new socket AM2 platform.
Socket AM2 from AMD is designed to enable next-generation platform innovations such as AMD Virtualization and high-performance, unbuffered DDR2 memory to the AMD64 architecture. Additionally, socket AM2 streamlines the work for motherboard manufacturers.
OEMs shipping systems with socket AM2 processors include Alienware, Fujitsu-Siemens, HP, and Lenovo, as well as more than 40 system builders worldwide. Through an open standards approach, AMD offers customers the ability to build differentiated solutions that meet commercial and consumer end-user needs.
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