AMD's Fusion Chip Will be Based on Phenom Processo

[Capper]

Advanced Micro Devices gave further details of its upcoming Fusion processor, saying it will be based on the design of a microprocessor used in the desktops currently shipping to enthusiast PC users such as gamers.

The Fusion chip, which will combine a graphics processing unit and CPU on one chip, will be a redesign of the company's current Phenom processor, said Patrick Moorhead, vice president of advanced marketing at AMD, in an interview. However, the Fusion chip will witness significant design changes from the current iteration of Phenom, Moorhead said.

The Fusion chip, code-named Swift, will be shrunk from the Phenom core and be optimized for use in a notebook, Moorhead said. The optimization will focus on making the chip more power-efficient while increasing graphics capabilities, Moorhead said.

The graphics processing unit on the Fusion chip will include multiple "mini-cores" that breaks down code from a program, like 3-D games, to process data faster, said John Taylor, an AMD spokesman. Fusion's graphics processor will be based on a graphics card AMD plans to release in the near future, Taylor said, declining to give details.

The first Fusion chips will be released as dual-core CPUs for notebooks, followed by quad-core CPUs for notebooks, Moorhead said. The dual-core notebook processors will be available in the second half of 2009, said John Taylor, an AMD spokesman. The company didn't provide a timeline for the quad-core chips.

Fusion chips will also be released eventually for desktops, Taylor said, although he declined to comment on a release date.

Originally released as part of the "Spider" multimedia platform last year, the Phenom processor has an integrated memory controller, cache, and four cores on a single chip. Currently available in speeds up to 2.3GHz, AMD earlier this month delayed the shipment of the faster Phenom 9700 and 9900 quad-core processors to the second quarter. The company is due to ship a triple-core Phenom processor later this year.

AMD's Fusion Chip Will be Based on Phenom Processor

[Jokerswild]

Well I hope this works out better for them than all the other stuff lately.

[gvblake22]

Seems like a great technology for laptops, that's for sure. But I wonder if the desktop Fusion chips will be able to work in Hybrid CrossFire with an Add-in graphics card and/or an IGP on the motherboard.

And the end of 2009? DAMN, they just aren't in a rush to do anything are they?

[Quakindude]

Hopefully, it isn't based on the same broken CPU architecture they currently have.

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by Quakindude

Hopefully, it isn't based on the same broken CPU architecture they currently have.

If they can't get it right by the end of 2009, they won't ever be able to get it right...

[Dr. V]

Originally Posted by gvblake22

If they can't get it right by the end of 2009, they won't ever be able to get it right...

Agreed. Well said.