AMD demonstrates first 'Fusion' processors

TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Computing and graphics solutions provider AMD delivered the first public demonstration of an AMD Fusion processor, at Computex 2010 on Tuesday, which is claimed to be the first wafer with the company's "Fusion" accelerated processing units (APUs).

The AMD Fusion family of APUs represents a significant shift in processor architecture and capabilities, combining high-performance serial computing and parallel graphics processing cores on to a single die to improve visual and data-intensive tasks that are pervasive in today's computing environments, said a press release.

Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, AMD Products Group, who provided an APU technology demonstration at Computex, said when AMD formally launches the Fusion family of APUs, scheduled for the first half of 2011, it expects the PC experience to evolve dramatically.

“Hundreds of millions of us now create, interact with, and share intensely visual digital content. This explosion in multimedia requires new applications and new ways to manage and manipulate data. Low resolution video needs to be up-scaled for larger screens, HD video must be shrunk for smart phones, and home movies need to be stabilized and cleaned up for more enjoyable viewing,” he observed.

AMD said the Fusion family of APUs represents a distinctly powerful processing approach to the evolving digital consumer landscape, where more than 28 billion videos are watched each month online and a thousand pictures are uploaded to social networking sites every second.

“While visual computing has made incredible strides in recent years, we believe that the AMD Fusion family of APUs combined with Windows 7 and DirectX 11 will fundamentally change how applications are developed and used,” said Steven Guggenheimer, corporate vice president, original equipment manufacturer division, Microsoft.

“Applications such as Internet browsing, watching HD video, PowerPoint and more can enable more immersive, visually rich, and intuitive experiences for consumers worldwide,” he added.

AMD Fusion Fund

At Computex 2010, AMD also unveiled the “AMD Fusion Fund”, a vehicle to make strategic investments in companies developing innovative solutions that will take advantage of the forthcoming AMD Fusion family of APUs.