AMD to Intel: Prove Processor Speeds

AMD wants to take Intel head on. The number-two chipmaker on Tuesday publicly challenged competitor Intel to a dual-core duel aimed at showing off the power of AMD's new Opteron 200 and 800 series processors.

The challenge appeared in several papers Tuesday including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, San Jose Mercury News and The San Francisco Chronicle. The ad was timed to appear ahead of the Intel Developer Conference in San Francisco, and placed so attendees would see it.

If Intel accepts, the tests would be carried out in a public venue by a third-party lab. Standard server benchmarks would be used, and measurements would be taken on energy consumption.

"Since we launched dual-core AMD Opteron processors in April 2005, we've won every major industry-standard benchmark for x86 servers," Marty Seyer, AMD corporate vice president and general manager, boasted in a statement.

"We are giving our competitor a fair and open opportunity to challenge our clear market leadership in a public setting."

AMD also launched a special Web site to act as a central location to provide news on the challenge. The company also plans to launch an online petition.

While Intel representatives were not yet commenting on the request, they will not be able to avoid the question for very long. Speakers at the Intel Developer Forum traditionally take questions from the press.