AMD reveals Sempron brand for future low-cost chips

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Jun 7, 20041 min

Desktops, notebooks eyed for processor

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) plans to come out with a third major processor brand called Sempron in the second half of this year, the company announced Monday.

Sempron will be a brand distinct from the Athlon 64 and Athlon XP processors that AMD currently sells, the company said. The Sunnyvale, California, company will pitch Sempron processors at low-cost desktops and notebooks, it said.

AMD already has a low-cost processor called Duron that it sells to white-box desktop manufacturers in emerging markets. White-box PCs are assembled and sold without a brand by local distributors. Sempron will ultimately replace Duron in those markets, said Jo Albers, an AMD spokeswoman.

The 32-bit Athlon XP chip will be targeted at business and consumer applications requiring more performance than Sempron, Albers said. AMD will also continue to offer mobile versions of both of those processors, she said.

Albers declined to provide additional details on the chip’s architecture or geographic availability. More details will be released in the second half of this year, she said.