AMD announced it has achieved the top spot on the VMware VMmark virtualization benchmark for x86 servers with the Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor-based HP ProLiant DL585 G5. AMD now holds the top three spots on the 16-core VMmark benchmark. This latest result is further proof that Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors provide a high-performance virtualization solution that allows data center managers to make large-scale virtualization deployments and do so at an attractive price point.

"AMD has an extensive track record of helping enterprises face demanding challenges by enabling flexible, virtualized systems that address major issues including server consolidation, business continuity and disaster recovery," said Patrick Patla, general manager, Server and Workstation Business, AMD. "AMD's latest benchmark result underscores the fact that Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors are more than just four cores and provide innovations such as AMD Virtualization with Rapid Virtualization Indexing to help deliver an ideal platform for addressing real-world data center needs."

Rapid Virtualization Indexing (RVI) technology is designed to offer near-native performance of virtualized applications while enabling fast switching between virtual machines (VMs.) The VMmark 1.1 consolidation benchmark, released by VMware in May 2008, includes several workloads that take advantage of the benefits of RVI.

"Enterprises need specific, useful tools to make informed IT decisions, and the VMware VMmark 1.1 consolidation benchmark is a tool to measure the performance and scalability of platforms running virtualized workloads," said Brian Byun, vice president of global partners and solutions, at VMware. "We're pleased that AMD, HP and others continue to participate in and support the VMmark benchmark as an initial indicator of virtualization performance in their products. The VMmark 1.1 benchmark can help enterprises see the value offered by the advantages of the underlying technology innovations delivered by AMD's RVI technology."

VMware VMmark 1.1 benchmark measures application performance in virtualized environments on a wide variety of enterprise workloads running simultaneously in separate virtual machines.The VMmark benchmark utilizes SPECjbb2005 and SPECweb2005, which are available from the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC).