Advanced Micro Devices announced the broad availability of its I/O virtualization technology specification. The specifications will allow software designers to take advantage of the new feature of the forthcoming AMD processors.

AMD is making this technology available through royalty-free licenses that are designed to encourage its widespread adoption by hardware and software developers. By defining a set of technologies that can be directly built into a computer’s I/O bridges, AMD’s I/O virtualization technology is designed to extend the benefits of CPU-assisted virtualization by addressing the performance bottlenecks and security issues that can be encountered when virtualizing I/O devices in x86-based servers, desktops, and notebook computers.

AMD’s collaborative approach to providing the industry with technology designed to enable virtualization solutions is also demonstrated through ongoing and strategic alliances with industry leaders including Microsoft, VMware and XenSource.

“Continuing our leadership role, AMD’s I/O virtualization technology is expected to provide performance benefits in commercial servers, but it also opens the door to new and exciting uses for virtualization in desktop and notebook PCs, where device virtualization is particularly challenging,” said Marty Seyer, senior vice president, commercial business and performance computing, AMD.

AMD’s CPU virtualization technology (formerly referred to by the code name “Pacifica”) delivers CPU efficiencies to traditional software only-based virtualization approaches. AMD I/O virtualization technology complements and extends these efficiencies by providing mechanisms to support virtualization software in managing, partitioning, and securing I/O devices, which is anticipated to result in improved performance and less implementation complexity in providing I/O in virtual environments.

AMD’s I/O virtualization technology is expected to be supported by all AMD processors in mid-2006, and is also anticipated to be implemented in chipsets and core logic designed for AMD64-based platforms in 2006. The AMD I/O virtualization technology specification download, together with technology overviews and guidance to software developers who are designing virtualization solutions for 64-bit technology, can be found at AMD’s web-site for developers. http://developer.amd.com.