Chipmaker AMD cares about the environment, and they want everyone to know.

The company this week released its 2007 Global Climate Protection Plan (PDF), which outlines how the company is reducing carbon output, both in-house and in data centers worldwide by means of its high "performance per watt" processors and baked-in virtualization technology.

Nestled in the feel-good report are some details on the power management features in the company's upcoming quad-core chips, codenamed Barcelona.

AMD’s native Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors (codenamed Barcelona) are scheduled for introduction in second-half of 2007 and contain a redesigned microarchitecture that will enable new power-and thermal-management. Enhancements to AMD PowerNow! technology will enable systems based on native Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors to dynamically adjust frequencies at the individual core level for further power consumption reductions.

Another new power management enhancement enables Barcelona processor cores to reduce voltage levels, even while the memory controller runs at full speed. The system memory interface also includes a feature that powers down memory logic when not in use. AMD has also made extensive use of ‘clock gating’ in the Barcelona design to enable automatic shut-down of areas of logic not being utilized, resulting in further power savings.

To those interested in knowing how they are addressing sustainability beyond its own tech, the report also covers renewable energy, manufacturing, real estate, employee-targeted initiatives and their involvement in orgs that perpetuate the cleantech message like The Green Grid, Sustainable Silicon Valley, and Plug-in Partners. If instead you'd rather hear about some of the topics in the report, they are also hosting a podcast (MP3, 21 min 33 sec) hosted by Austin, TX mayor Will Wynn (they're a big employer in the area).