Not only do Advanced Micro Devices' new tenth-generation microprocessors promise to increase performance because of micro-architectural improvements and the increased amount of processing engines, they apparently feature DDR3 memory controller as well. Technical documents that cover AMD's latest microprocessors, such as quad-core AMD Opteron or AMD Phenom and their derivatives, reveal that the new built-in memory controllers can support both DDR2 and DDR3 memory types, provided that processors are installed into mainboards with DDR3 memory slots and appropriate BIOS.
According to roadmaps that AMD shows to its partners, DDR3 memory support will only be available in microprocessors made using 45nm process technology and on AM3 platforms due out in the second half of 2008. However, given that AMD's documents for BIOS developers already note both AM3 and DDR3, it is highly likely that even current versions of AMD's tenth-generation microprocessors can support DDR3 memory in certain conditions.
News source: Xbit Laboratories
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