Dirk Meyer, the new chief executive officer of Advanced Micro Devices, said during a conference call with financial analysts that the company had initiated pilot production of microprocessors using 45nm fabrication process and that the chipmaker was on track to deliver actual products in volume in early fourth quarter.

“We are well on track with the 45nm plan as we have been telling this group about in the past. We have actually started production late last quarter and are on track to start buying shipments early in Q4,” said Dirk Meyer during the conference call.

Earlier it was widely believed that AMD will only manage to start shipments of its 45nm microprocessors late in Q4, however, the company now seems to be a bit more optimistic about its 45nm transition.

Nevertheless, AMD’s conversion to 45nm fabrication process is not completely flawless. Back in mid-2006 another high-ranking executive at AMD – Daryl Ostrander, senior vice president and manufacturing and technology, showcased a presentation to investors and financial analysts where he indicated that AMD’s Fab 36 was on-track for volume 45nm production by mid-2008, one and a half years after 65nm and about half a year later than Intel Corp., which started revenue shipments of 45nm products in late 2007.

AMD hopes that by mid-2009 its production capacities will be completely transited to 45nm process technology.

“Typically it takes us 3-4 quarters to flip the factories once we start so that would say it would be largely converted roughly in the middle of next year. Much of the capital expense we are bearing now is in support of that plan,” said Mr. Meyer.