AMD has added three low-power Athlon 64 processors to its embedded product line-up, giving embedded systems designers AMD64 technology in a thermal envelope as low as 8W.

The Athlon 64 2000+, 2600+ and 3100+ models feature power envelopes of 8W, 15W and 25W maximum thermal design power respectively.

They support ECC memory for high reliability data applications and are especially applicable for systems such as network attached storage, advanced mezzanine cards for the telecoms market, and various single-board computing and industrial implementations.

AMD said that the models will be generally available in the fourth quarter and will allow customers to upgrade or use existing board designs to address new markets, especially those that require low power draw and heat dissipation.

"These additions offer very low power and innovative processor features that can specifically address a range of embedded markets, and add to the multitude of power, price and performance combinations that AMD offers embedded system designers," said Buddy Broeker, director of embedded computing solutions at AMD.

"We are also dedicated to helping manage infrastructure changes. Our new processors are compatible with existing AM2 boards, giving designers a more robust menu of processor options on a ready-to-go platform. This can speed time to market and decrease development costs."

There have already been more than a dozen additions or enhancements to the AMD Embedded Solutions family of processors and development systems so far this year.

Products as wide ranging as the 'Bobcat' family of processors and the newly announced quad-core AMD Opteron processor, formerly code-named Barcelona, also represent future possibilities for embedded designs.