This just in from a spokesperson at AMD: “Given that the product has not launched yet, I can see why it may be hard to get an opteron system. Starting tomorrow, there will be more than 30 system builders with AMD Opteron processor-based systems available. As far as the cost of the overall system, that’s¨ðpriced by the manufacturer, not AMD. As far as the price of the processor itself, there will be 3 models available as of tomorrow with prices ranging from $283 – $794 in 1000 unit quantities. System builders who have publicly announced there support for Opteron are Angstrom Micro, Racksaver and Appro International.”

Read interview with Hector Ruiz This is what Wall Street Journal had to say about Mr. Ruiz today: “Ruiz, 57 years old, certainly doesn’t come across as a wheeler-dealer. Where Mr. Sanders was famous for Bel Air mansions, fancy cars and deft salesmanship, his successor is a soft-spoken operations specialist who grew up in a Mexican border town and learned English by doing chores for a Methodist missionary. Mr. Ruiz joined AMD after a 22-year career at Motorola Inc., where he earned a reputation as a cost cutter.”