[link|http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aSDloQsOH1S0&refer=top_world_news|Bloomberg]:

Advanced Micro's Opteron microprocessors will be used in a new line of server machines to go on sale by the end of the year, Round Rock, Texas-based Dell said today in a statement.

The deal gives Dell products that are winning favor with customers, who have been turning to computers that contain Advanced Micro technology sold by Palo Alto, California-based Hewlett Packard, the second-biggest PC maker, and Armonk, New York-based International Business Machines Corp.

[link|http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/18/dell_picks_amd/|The Reg] says that they are going to be used in quad-processor machines. Dell's not after AMD's desktop chips - yet. And as Andrew says, even if Dell wanted to used some new processor today, it would take a year to get them out the door. Some new uber Intel chip is just vaporware at the moment and wouldn't help them with Wall Street.

[Edit:] Ashlee Vance at [link|http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/19/dell_opteron_wallstreet/|The Reg] has more details on the AMD deal. It certainly looks like a small defensive move on Dell's part.

Cheers,
Scott.