Chipmaker AMD has thrown down a new challenge in the multi-core processor front—and it’s no accident the announcement lands just one day before the start of rival Intel’s Developer Forum. AMD plans to ship triple-core versions of its Phenom processors during the first quarter of 2008, and the new triple-core systems will target everyday desktop computer users rather than the high-end server and content-creation applications that currently dominate computing above the dual-core threshold. AMD says triple core processors will add significant performance improvements to multithreaded and multitasking environments, and the company is particularly looking for benefits in mainstream Microsoft products.
