AMD Aims To Merge GPU/CPU With Fusion APU
AMD has been pushing "Fusion" for about as long as we can remember, and
the idea of merging the CPU and GPU certainly sounds good. Other
companies are definitely trying to accomplish similar goals with
rivaling technologies, but the main problem for AMD has been producing a
working product that can be shipped on existing products. At the
Computex show in Taiwan this week, AMD put their biggest stamp of
approval yet on Fusion by introduction the Fusion APU technology.
The announcement was followed by the launch of the AMD Fusion Fund, a program to support development of new, enhanced consumer digital experiences by helping to further advance an ecosystem that promotes CPUand GPU collaborative computing. It's a great idea to start something that will initiate strategic investments in companies working on solutions enabled by the accelerated computing capabilities of the upcoming AMD Fusion family of Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) products, but we can't help but wish that these investments were already lined up.
As of now, Fusion APU is still more of an idea than a product, though AMD does say that projects for consideration include a range of next-generation and accelerated computing capabilities enabled by AMD Fusion APU products, including application software and tool development, unique device designs, PC components and innovative ideas which extend the reach of collaborative computing on the CPU and GPU. The good news is that a demo has already been shown, and it looks very promising. A true integrated GPU/CPU would definitely change the landscape of mobile computing (and beyond), and we can't help but look ahead to next year's Computex to see how far this project moves forward.
The announcement was followed by the launch of the AMD Fusion Fund, a program to support development of new, enhanced consumer digital experiences by helping to further advance an ecosystem that promotes CPUand GPU collaborative computing. It's a great idea to start something that will initiate strategic investments in companies working on solutions enabled by the accelerated computing capabilities of the upcoming AMD Fusion family of Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) products, but we can't help but wish that these investments were already lined up.
As of now, Fusion APU is still more of an idea than a product, though AMD does say that projects for consideration include a range of next-generation and accelerated computing capabilities enabled by AMD Fusion APU products, including application software and tool development, unique device designs, PC components and innovative ideas which extend the reach of collaborative computing on the CPU and GPU. The good news is that a demo has already been shown, and it looks very promising. A true integrated GPU/CPU would definitely change the landscape of mobile computing (and beyond), and we can't help but look ahead to next year's Computex to see how far this project moves forward.
There is certainly no shortage of technology companies that will tell us their product is the first, the best, the most revolutionary, the greatest of all time, and so on. And 99% of the time our eyes glaze over when we hear those words. To truly reshape an entire industry, you need more than just a product. You need that product to seize the market at exactly the right time. You need an ecosystem of partners and customers to align with you. And, more often than not, you need to focus less on being revolutionary, and more on being evolutionary. Today, we took another step towards evolving the way we think of a PC and what it can do for us.
Today, the AMD Fusion™ family of APUs came to life.
To recap, at Computex in Taipei, I took the stage with Microsoft and showed the world that AMD Fusion APUs are no longer just an idea on paper. An AMD Fusion APU – delivering powerful CPU and GPU capabilities for HD, 3D and data-intensive workloads in a single-die processor– demonstrated APU accelerated Internet Explorer 9 and DirectX 11 rendering and special effects, which you can see here.
And, in doing that, history was made.
First and foremost, this is a testament to the brilliant engineering minds within AMD. In all of my years in the computing industry, I’ve never seen anything more technologically sophisticated, and we couldn’t wait any longer to show you an AMD Fusion APU in action.
But, for those of you who are less concerned with the circuitry and design, and are more concerned about a computer that’s fast, runs your favorite apps, plays and manipulates HD video, has a great user interface, etc. this demo applies to you too. The demo shows us what is possible in the cool, sleek devices we all love. I’m talking about ultrathin notebooks, touchscreens, new low-power PC form factors, and the list goes on. Quite simply, with AMD Fusion APUs and the support of our technology partners, those devices (and ones we haven’t even dreamed up yet) can get a whole lot better. More than ever before, what we’ve all typically thought of as “the future” is right in front of us – within reach.
