Sunnyvale (CA) - AMD announced that it will equip its x86 64-bit simulator with "workable model" of the virtualization technology code-named Pacifica. According to current roadmaps, Pacifica will launch in the first half of 2006, Intel will roll out its equivalent "VT" later this year.

In a race that is less highlighted than the dual-core competition, AMD and Intel are working on a range of technologies aimed at expanding processor features especially for their business platforms. SimNow has been in place for several years now to simulate AMD's 64-bit environments and will now offer a virtualization extension.

AMD said it will release a download of the software on August. The company hopes that software companies will use the opportunity to begin developing applications for virtualization environments before the physical chips will become available in the second half of 2006.

Intel will beat AMD to the market with first "VT" capable processor to appear in the fourth quarter of this year. The Pentium 4 662 (3.6 GHz) and 672 (3.8 GHz) will be the only single-core processors to support the technology. The 65 nm successor of the current Pentium 4, code-named "Cedar Mill" will not be equipped with the technology. Instead, Intel will push VT quickly into the dual-core space: Presler (Pentium D 900), the successor of the Pentium D 800, will be the first dual-core desktop chip to offer virtualization capabilities.