AMD reveals roadmap for ARM and x86 SoCs

http://linuxgizmos.com/amd-reveals-arm-and-x86-soc-and-apu-plans/

by deviceguru • 13 years ago

58 40 13 years ago

pstuart• 13 years ago

This could go well with their SeaMicro acquisition.

simcop23872• 13 years ago

I would honestly like to see what happens if AMD makes a heterogenous CPU. one with say 4 arm cores and 4 x86 cores. where you could shut off the x86 cores if you didn't need them.

kevinnk• 13 years ago

While this would be cool, I'm not exactly sure under what circumstances this would be useful.

InclinedPlane3• 13 years ago

A tablet that could run x86 applications as needed but wasn't optimized for them.

nivertech• 13 years ago

This could be usefull for High-Availability / Fault-Tolerant applications.

I think 10 years ago, Ericsson had a highly available server machine for Telecom application, named Jambala. It had 2 SPARC and 2 x86 CPUs. Having two different ISAs in the same system can protect you from subtle software/hardware errors. So you compile you code to both targets, if for some reason one of x86 CPUs fail, the second x86 takeover, if both x86 fail, then SPARC CPU takeover, etc.

Off-course this system run Erlang/OTP ;)

networked• 13 years ago

One possible use case for heterogeneous CPUs that comes to mind is in laptops the same way AMD Switchable Graphics is used now: to save power when you don't need the performance. However, I'm not sure if any energy efficiency benefits of this solution wouldn't be offset by the increased software and hardware complexity (which costs both money and battery power). If anything, it might be easier and cheaper for AMD to pair up its high-performance ("Steamroller") x86 cores with low-power ("Jaguar") ones instead.

Qantourisc2• 13 years ago

Still waiting on a replacement for my Phenom II x4 955 ... I love how they added more cores in the last 4 years, but the single threaded performance has barely grown to the benchmarks I could look up. Lets just hope their high dense library lib, and other enhancements will save speed-up their single core speed. Then they get more money.

Why am I waiting for AMD, and don't I buy an Intel? I'd like to support competition in the market.

If I'm misinformed and the new CPU's ARE faster, give me a poke.

sliverstorm4• 13 years ago

The latest out of Tom's Hardware[1] seems to indicate that the combination of improvements in threading and modest improvements in the recent CPUs adds up to appreciable gains vs. the old Phenoms.

If you're laser-focused on single-threaded performance, steamroller is probably the one to look out for. They claim 30% improvement in ops per cycle.

[1] http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/piledriver-k10-cpu-overc...

Qantourisc2• 13 years ago

Oo new review I didn't see yet: 12% increase, but since I'm @3.2Ghz, that's a 50% increase! Juicy.

And yes my single-threaded performance is the one I focus on, because the multi-threaded things, I can wait on :)

Thanks for the info.

devx• 13 years ago

The “Hierofalcon” series also provides enhanced security with support for ARM TrustZone technology and a dedicated cryptographic security co-processor

I'm always going to see stuff like that in a very suspicious way from now on, considering NSA has succeeded in putting backdoors in "encryption hardware".

The “Adelaar” GPU family will deliver rich 3D graphics, multi-display support and support for DirectX 11.1, OpenGL 4.2

Sure, support the very latest DirectX, but only 2 versions behind OpenGL with your future new GPU. Way to go, AMD!

justincormack• 13 years ago

Or maybe GCHQ as it is ARM...

drill_sarge2• 13 years ago

The older OpenGL version is probably just because of the driver, not the hardware. The latest Catalyst beta is about to bring 4.3 support (to almost all chip of the last ~3 generations). Just a matter of time for 4.4

sliverstorm4• 13 years ago

considering NSA...

ARM Holdings is a French company. You probably don't need to worry about drop-in masks from them.

only 2 versions behind OpenGL...

It sure doesn't make sense why they didn't announce support OpenGL 4.4. I mean, the spec was released 6 weeks prior to the announcement- that's practically forever ago!

perpetuated• 13 years ago

ARM is British and based in Cambridge. There's some worry there.

skylan_q2• 13 years ago

But whereas Intel divested itself of its ARM-based XScale chip business several years back, AMD let it be known earlier this year that it planned to expand into ARM territory.

1) Bravo on moving to ARM, AMD! 2) It's not like you had a choice. :p

They're focusing on making themselves the premiere chip designer while Intel seems to be more strategically focused on manufacturing.

zokier• 13 years ago

They're focusing on making themselves the premiere chip designer

considering that AMD doesn't have any fabs, that's kinda obvious.

skylan_q2• 13 years ago

They still have a large stake in GloFo, but you're right. It's been the trend for a while.

rbanffy• 13 years ago

How Linux-friendly are these x86 SoCs? Are there good open-source drivers for their GPUs?

drill_sarge2• 13 years ago

recently really good progress has been made with the free amd drivers, also kernel 3.11 supports now the dpm (power management). also the uvd (video decoder) is working well. But if you want to play games or need maximum 3D performance there is no way around the proprietary fglrx driver from amd atm, although the free drivers keep getting better and better in this section.

tbirdz• 13 years ago

Does anyone have any idea what the price on these things will be when they come out? I know AMD's x86 cpus are usually cheaper than Intel's, and given that ARM cpus cost less than x86 ones, this should also decrease the price.

AMD reveals roadmap for ARM and x86 SoCs

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