Switching from 65nm Barcelona chips to 45nm Shanghai and the upcoming Istanbul processor just got a little bit easier for businesses.   AMD is offering a 35% discount to their partners for buying upgrades.

Sunnyvale, Calif. – April 7, 2009 – Offering partners and customers another cost-effective way to benefit from the performance and efficiency of AMD Opteron processor technology, AMD today announced a global AMD Opteron Upgrade Program. The program includes 2000 series and 8000 series dual- and Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors along with the upcoming six-core processor codenamed “Istanbul”. Channel partners and customers can receive up to a 35% discount in price ($50 off 2000 series, $100 off 8000 series) by upgrading the generation of their AMD Opteron processor, providing a fast upgrade path to improve performance and energy efficiency within the data center without needing to replace and buy entirely new systems.

“AMD Opteron processors have always provided exceptionally long life cycles and consistent platforms,” said John Fruehe, director, Business Development, AMD. “In the current economic environment customers are trying to stretch their IT budgets and to extend the life of their technology investments more than ever, all while improving performance and energy efficiency. This program offers a unique value to our partners and customers, particularly when you consider the enhancements to the 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor and upcoming six-core ‘Istanbul’ processor.”

Cluster and system builders like Rackable Systems and Cray are already seeing immense benefit from this program, with an increased demand for fast and seamless upgrades in the data center that can yield significant performance gains.

For more information on the AMD Opteron Upgrade Program, visit AMD’s @Work blog.