PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
AMD has set out the chipmaker’s plans for the future with a notable lack of any mention of high-end x86 processors.
The company instead focused on mass market applications for the firm’s APUs including a rolling out of the firms new ‘Graphics Core Next’ GPU architecture and the Trinity second generation API later in 2012.
AND is also looking to introduce the firm’s first ultra low power APU codenamed Hondo, as well as a new version of the successful Brazos, adding turbo core features and USB 3.0. The juice sipping Hondo will be aimed at tablets, just in time for the launch of Windows 8.
AMD chief Rory Reid dispelled any notion that AMD would be following Intel into the mobile system-on-chip market. However the focus appears to be firmly on mobile devices, just ones that can use AMD’s APUs – so AMD appears to be betting the farm on the success of Windows 8.
Next year AMD will also complete the move to 28nm fabrication which will be behind Intel’s 22nm technology but perhaps less so than in the past. AMD’s presentation seemed to show awareness of picking fights to fill in gaps in Intel’s offering rather than going quite so head-to-head as in previous years.
That may be why AMD didn’t make much of high-end follow ups to Bulldozer. Following the less than rapturous reception for the enthusiast chip, which struggles against Intel’s Core CPUs, AMD went on to axe much of the firm’s marketing department which had, for many years, focused on the gaming market as a halo segment.
That seems to be a market AMD is less keen to chase directly but still has a solid focus on graphics performance. It’s here, with built-in high performance "GCN" architecture graphics, that AMD APUs in the mid range may yet give Intel a run for their money.
