AMD Readies 64-Bit ARM Application Processor for Consumer Devices – Report.

Xbitlabs ^ | 10/02/2013 11:20 PM | Anton Shilov

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Earlier this year Advanced Micro Devices generally confirmed plans to apply ARM architecture not only to special low-power microprocessors for servers, but also to consumer chips. According to a new rumour, the company is indeed preparing a chip designed mostly for tablets with ARMv8 general-purpose cores as well as AMD Radeon HD graphics engine.

In order to be more successful on the market of media tablets, AMD is rumoured to be designing a system-on-chip with unknown number of ARM Cortex-A57 or A53 general-purpose cores as well as Radeon HD graphics engine based on GCN [graphics core next] architecture, reports SweClockers web-site. The chip is projected to be formally unveiled in AMD’s Q4 update of its consumer roadmap and to become available sometimes in 2014. The chip will likely be made using 28nm process technology due to AMD’s “modular chip” approach.

AMD has been attempting to address the growing market of media tablets with its application processors based on x86 architecture with 3.9W – 8W power consumption, but without much success. Usage of ARM should allow AMD to further trim usage of power, thus improve its competitive positions. Furthermore, desktop-class Radeon graphics engine with GCN architecture (the same architecture that powers Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4) will clearly become one of the unique features that AMD will offer to the ultra-portable market.

[krb]

That would be a really sweet chip.