Intel and AMD have traditionally traded processor developments and innovations, but rarely as quickly as they have this week. Just yesterday, Intel announced its new "second-generation Core" (Sandy Bridge) series of CPUs with integrated graphics on the processing die. With its Fusion Accelerated Processing Units (aka APUs), which are making their first official appearance today, AMD is doing the same thing.
Like Sandy Bridge, Fusion places a significant premium on video and media capabilities. The APUs incorporate a multicore CPU, DirectX 11 discrete video (Sandy Bridge supports only DirectX 10.1) and parallel processing engine, a dedicated Universal Video Decoder 3 (UVD3) HD video acceleration block, and a high-speed bus for carrying data between the APU's cores. AMD also claims that users of Fusion-based mobile PCs can expect battery life of ten hours or more, thanks to the power saved by the new single-chip design. AMD demonstrated Fusion chips' performance back in November.
The Fusion low-power platform (which previously went by the code name of "Brazos") is being divided into two variations. The E-Series, formerly code-named "Zacate," is intended for use in mainstream notebooks, and all-in-one and small-form-factor desktops. It contains two CPUs, the dual-core E-350 (1.6 GHz) and the single-core E240 (1.5 GHz); both have a TDP of 18 watts. The C-Series, which was developed under the code name "Ontario," is designed for HD netbooks and other emerging form factors. The two CPUs in this series, the dual-core C-50 (1 GHz) and the single-core C-30 (1.2 GHz), both have TDPs of 9 watts. Both series feature the new "Bobcat" CPU core, AMD's first new x86 core since 2003.
Keep in mind, however, that there's still a ways to go. AMD only rates its AMD E-350 at 20 frames per second (fps) using 1080p video running on Flash 10.1; its C-50 is rated at 16 fps. John Taylor, director of AMD's product marketing, said that only a few people will notice dropped frames while running at 20 fps. Flash 10.2 will push the performance of the E-350 to 24 fps, the rate at which movies are encoded, he said.
Mainstream Fusion APUs, for mainstream and performance notebooks and mainstream desktops, will feature the 32nm-die A-Series "Llano" APU. This APU can contain up to four cores in addition to the DX11 GPU. It's scheduled to ship in the first half of this year, delivering 500 gigaflops of graphics performance - 33 times the performance of a single CPU two years ago, AMD claims.
"We believe that AMD Fusion processors are, quite simply, the greatest advancement in processing since the introduction of the x86 architecture more than forty years ago," said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, AMD Products Group, in a statement. "In one major step, we enable users to experience HD everywhere as well as personal supercomputing capabilities in notebooks that can deliver all-day battery life. It's a new category, a new approach, and opens up exciting new experiences for consumers."
Fusion APUs are currently available in all-in-one desktop, notebook, and netbook PCs. AMD expects that tablets and embedded designs will follow within the first quarter of this year.