Sources close to AMD's plans say the company has shifted its plans on its future, 64-bit K8 processor. The original K8 64-bit design is now on ice, and the firm has decided instead to derive the design of the future processor from its Athlon K7, but extended to 64-bit mode. That is not a retrograde step, according to one source. The K7 design worked out well and a K8 based on that can re-use x.86 compilers, thus bringing a product to market quicker than expected or usually feasible. But there is a potential skill shortages to overcome -- a number of K8 engineers at AMD have been wooed away from the firm to work at various Silicon Valley startups, our sources say. We will contact AMD during the coming working week in an effort to obtain more information. ®