AMD pooh-poohs dual-core 'Kuma' cancellation claim

Allegation is bollocks, company states

By Tony Smith • Get more from this author

12th June 2008 09:33 GMT

AMD will release dual-core chips based on its tenth-generation, K10 core design - despite rumours to the contrary.

Earlier this week, Chinese-language site HKPEC said that motherboard-maker moles had claimed that the part, codenamed 'Kuma', had been cancelled. Instead of releasing the 65nm chip later this quarter, AMD would hold off until the 45nm version was ready to roll, they alleged.

Rubbish, said AMD in response.

Calling the claims "completely untrue", a company spokesman said Kuma-based parts are "on track" to launch sometime before the end of the year. He confirmed the parts will not only be fabbed at 65nm but also based on the K10 core that's formed the basis for all of AMD's other CPUs named after stars.

It had been claimed Kuma would debut as the Phenom X2, joining the tri-core Phenom X3 and the quad-core Phenom X4. All other Phenoms are K10 parts, so it would be logical to name Kuma that way too.

AMD pored scorn on that notion too, but reading between the lines of the spokesman's comments, it seems likely that AMD simply hasn't made up its mind yet. Will Kuma be a Phenom or use AMD's existing X2-suffixed brand, Athlon? We shall see, but the company doesn't appear to want to ditch the Athlon brand just yet.

However, AMD did not address a second claim, that it's dropping its Phenom FX chip, possibly planned to ship as the FX-80 and/or the FX-90.