Those two are at it again. Advanced Micro Devices this week will release its next-generation Opteron processor, its answer to Intel's Woodcrest Xeon 5100 series chips.

The Opteron Rev-F is AMD's first server processor to include integrated virtualization technology that was developed under the code name Pacifica, and to use second-gen Double Data Rate memory. The chip initially is available for just dual-core implementations, but AMD says customers will be able to upgrade to quad-core processors when they're available in mid-2007. Microsoft, Novell, and Red Hat were among the software vendors that say they'll tailor their offerings for the new chips.

The Opteron Rev-F gives AMD ammunition against Intel's Woodcrest chips, which use its new Core architecture and go a long way in closing the performance gap that AMD has created in the x86 server space over the last two years. AMD's share of the x86 server processor market grew to 25.9% in the second quarter, up from 22.1% in the first quarter, according to Mercury Research.

Dell, HP, IBM, and Sun are among the vendors that will offer Opteron and Woodcrest systems to customers.