Rest assured that AMD isn't going to let grass grow under its feet while Intel is prepping the release of the new Nehalem processors. The Sunnyvale-based chip manufacturer is planning to launch several low-power triple- and quad-core processors during the second half of this year. According to sources among the motherboard makers, these chips are expected to come with a TDP of 65W. The products are obviously not meant to compete with Intel's new CPUs, but they will certainly provide a good performance/price ratio, as is already customary with all AMD chips.

According to the above-mentioned sources, AMD is set on releasing two low-power triple core Phenom processors, dubbed X3 8250e and 8450e respectively. They will feature core frequencies of 1.9GHz and 2.1GHz, respectively, and both will include an L2 cache of 1.5MB and L3 cache of 2MB. The two CPUs are expected to enter DVT in July, while mass production for the models is due to start at the beginning of August. The processor manufacturer has high hopes that these CPUs will become available in channel by mid to late August, sources say.

In the meanwhile, AMD is expected to launch the low-power quad-core Phenom X4 9350e in the third quarter. Two other models will follow in the fourth quarter and the first quarter of 2009, which is when AMD will begin rolling out its 45nm quad-core CPUs (Propus), targeting core frequencies between 2.3-2.6 GHz.

Sources also claim that AMD is determined to have the Phenom X4 9850 (2.5GHz) and the 9950 (2.6GHz) enter DVT in the third quarter, and ship in the following three months. The company is also scheduling to launch two 45nm Phenom X4 CPUs by the end of the fourth quarter, both of them with core frequencies between 2.4-2.8GHz.

Up until now, AMD did not make any official statement regarding the new CPU lineup, as it is the company's policy to not comment on yet unannounced products.