AMD publishes CPU roadmaps through 2012, runs a quad-core Bulldozer through the laptop realm
Heard of Trinity, Krishna, Wichita and Komodo? You have now -- they're the codenames of brand-new processors that AMD plans to ship in 2012. AMD dropped preliminary details on the basic platform lineup earlier this week, and it looks like there are some sweeping changes in store -- like the fact that every single chip will have a DirectX 11 capable GPU on board in true Fusion style. Also, if you thought Bulldozer was a desktop processor and Bobcat limited to laptops, you'll be interested to know that's not at all how it's going to work -- powerhouse notebooks and mid-range towers can get the same four high-end cores in the form of a 32nm Trinity APU, while Krishna and Wichita mop up the low-end and hopefully address low power consumption scenarios with 28nm silicon. Of course, there's a little something extra for the desktop enthusiast, and that's where the octa-core Komodo will come in (picture after the break). AMD's also enacted one other very important change, and that's to provide the handy-dandy AMD Codename Decoder™ for telling all these platforms apart. You'll find it at our more coverage link. We kid you not.
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AMD Details a Vivid Future of Computing at Annual Financial Analyst Day
Sunnyvale, Calif. - 11/9/2010
At its annual Financial Analyst Day, AMD (NYSE: AMD) demonstrated how its unique combination of CPU and GPU computing technologies on a single die will enable breakthrough capabilities in an innovative processor design with planned OEM system availability in early 2011. AMD executives detailed how this new class of processor, AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), is poised to create a sustained position of advantage by powering demanding PC workloads in sleek form factors with long battery life, pacing future AMD growth. AMD Fusion APUs are built from DirectX® 11-capable GPU technology and either low-power or high-performance multi-core x86 CPU technology. These APUs are designed to vastly improve today's Internet, video processing and playback, and gaming (client and online) experiences. For the first time, AMD also demonstrated its new high-performance x86 multi-core CPU architecture codenamed "Bulldozer" and provided additional information around the "Bulldozer" launch schedule.
For more detail on AMD's disclosures from today please see roadmap blog, and for additional commentary on what APUs mean for AMD please see AMD Fusion blog.
"AMD's business model has consistently delivered operating profits this year, while the strength of our platform offerings drove continued expansion of our customer base," said Dirk Meyer, AMD president and CEO. "The industry is at an inflection point, with users demanding technology that is more immersive and interactive. With our upcoming AMD Fusion APUs combining our DirectX 11-capable graphics processors and next-generation microprocessors on a single chip, we are poised to lead the industry's next computing era with richer, more vivid digital experiences."
"AMD Fusion products represent the biggest advancement in processor technology since the industry's switch to multi-core designs," observed Nathan Brookwood, research fellow at Insight 64. "AMD Fusion enables a quantum increase in the performance of entry-level and mainstream processors, and helps software developers enrich their offerings in ways that would previously have been hard to imagine. These enhanced applications, in turn, will give the PC industry tools to tap into new opportunities that only the latest GPU technology can provide."
AMD Fusion APUs mark a significant leap forward in technology innovation to address evolving workloads and users' needs for smaller, more power-efficient form factors that enable richer visual computing experiences such as:
Outstanding Web browsing experiences in terms of speed of response, quality of graphics, quality of animations;
Smooth video playback of HD and 3D content in even the most portable form factors;
Optimized experience in popular GPU-accelerated productivity applications such as Microsoft PowerPoint where AMD Fusion enables smooth transitions, better animations, easier video editing;
Better content management capabilities to organize the millions of digital media files created and stored by consumers everyday;
User interface innovations designed to rapidly evolve as new technologies such as gesture recognition and voice command take advantage of the massive parallel processing capability of GPUs as evidenced by the hundreds of gigaflops of compute power in the AMD Fusion APU codenamed "Llano".
AMD Public Roadmap Updates
AMD also announced several notable updates to its 2012 roadmaps including:
"Krishna" and "Wichita": Two and four-core 28nm APUs based on the next-generation sub-one watt "Bobcat" CPU cores and a DirectX 11-capable GPU, designed for the tablet, notebook, HD netbook, and desktop form-factors;
"Trinity": a 32nm APU based on AMD's next-generation "Bulldozer" CPU cores and a DirectX 11-capable GPU, designed for mainstream and high-performance desktops and notebooks;
"Komodo": a 32nm CPU featuring up to 10 AMD "Bulldozer" CPU cores designed for high-performance and enthusiast desktops;
"Terramar" and "Sepang": Two new 32nm CPUs for the server market based on AMD's "Bulldozer" CPU core. Targeted for the enterprise, mainstream market "Terramar" will scale up to 20 cores while "Sepang" is designed for the cost-optimized, energy efficient market and will scale up to 10 CPU cores.
