AMD today announced immediate availability of the new AMD Embedded G-Series processor, the world's first and only Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) for embedded systems. The AMD Embedded G-Series, based on AMD Fusion technology, delivers a complete, full-featured embedded platform and incorporates the new low-power, x86 CPU based on the "Bobcat" core with a world-class DirectX 11-capable GPU and parallel processing engine on a single piece of silicon.

"AMD's commitment is to ensure the game-changing technologies we develop for consumers and the enterprise are also available for the vast and growing embedded market," said Patrick Patla, corporate vice president and general manager, Server and Embedded Division, AMD. "Today, we have a record number of embedded launch partners. They are using the unique advancements of the AMD Embedded G-Series APU to develop a brand new generation of highly differentiated, energy-efficient, small form-factor embedded systems that can deliver the vivid visual experience expected in our always-connected world."

PowerColor is ready with its mini-ITX motherboard based on the AMD "Brazos" platform. The unnamed motherboard that is yet to get its heatsink(s) on, uses an AMD Fusion "Zacate" E-350 APU that embeds a dual-core x86-64 processor clocked at 1.60 GHz, and an AMD Radeon HD 6310 DirectX 11 compliant GPU. The APU is wired to two DDR3 SODIMM slots (notebook memory). Power is drawn in from a standard 24-pin ATX connector. The lone expansion slot is a PCI-Express 2.0 x4 with an open-end (to let you fit x16 graphics cards).

Storage connectivity includes four internal SATA 3 Gb/s, other features include 8-channel HD audio with optical SPDIF output, gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 and a number of USB 2.0 ports. Display outputs include DVI and D-Sub. The motherboard is best suited for entry-level home PCs and office PCs.

MSI is ready with its motherboard based on the AMD Fusion "Brazos" platform. The motherboard major announced E350IA-E45, its first motherboard based on the platform in mini-ITX form-factor. It is intended for use on most entry-thru-mid range desktop PCs, office PCs, and HTPCs. At the heart of it is the AMD Fusion E-350 dual-core processor based on the "Bobcat" architecture. It embeds an AMD Radeon HD 6310 graphics processor that is DirectX 11 compliant. The processor is aided by Hudson M1 single-chip chipset.

The processor is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots and supports up to 8 GB of memory in x86-64 mode. It is powered by a 3+1 phase VRM. The lone expansion slot is a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical 2.0 x4). The chipset gives out four SATA 6 Gb/s ports supporting high-speed SSDs and HDDs. Connectivity is aplenty: 8+2 channel HD audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF connectors, two USB 3.0 ports, ten USB 2.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, and PS/2 mouse/keyboard combo connector. Display connectivity includes D-Sub and HDMI 1.4a. The MSI E350IA-E45 will ship toward late January or early February.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced its latest VIA Nano X2 processor for mainstream PC markets. Based on a 40 nanometer fabrication process, the VIA Nano X2 delivers better computational performance and improved multi-tasking ability without consuming more power.

"The VIA Nano X2 processor arrives at a time when software architectures are now optimized to for multi-thread computing," commented Richard Brown, VP International Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. "Improvements in semi-conductor fabrication means we can now double the number of processor cores while maintaining the same low energy consumption levels that our customers are used to."

Today at the Consumer Electronics Show, AMD launched a new class of accelerated processor that combines more compute capabilities than any processor in the history of computing. The AMD Fusion Family of Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) incorporate - in a single die design - multi-core CPU (x86) technology, a powerful DirectX 11-capable discrete-level graphics and parallel processing engine, a dedicated high-definition video acceleration block, and a high-speed bus that speeds data across the differing types of processor cores within the design. New generations of desktop, notebook and HD netbooks are now available based on AMD Fusion APUs at affordable price points. Tablets and embedded designs based on AMD Fusion APUs are expected be available later in Q1 2011. The new range of products features include stutter-free HD video playback, breakthroughs in computational horsepower to handle the most demanding applications, DirectX 11-capable graphics and all-day battery life.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the world's first graphics card designed specifically for the embedded market with the VIA eH1, a DX10.1 compliant, multi-display card that thrusts any system with a PCI Express slot into a new realm of graphics and video capability.

The VIA eH1 comes with a three year product longevity guarantee and is the most power-efficient discrete graphics and video solution on the market today. The VIA eH1 AIB features an advanced DirectX 10.1, OpenGL 3.1, OpenGL ES 2.0 compatible 64-bit architecture and offers multi-stream 1080p HD video decoding and Stereoscopic 3D rendering capability. This makes it the ideal solution for a range of embedded applications that require advanced graphics and video on multiple displays.

MSI jumped on the AMD Fusion "Brazos" bandwagon by showing off its first implementation based on the new platform. The company held a press-meet in Taipei well ahead of CES in hopes of giving its latest creation some exclusive exposure ahead of the mega event. The Wind U270 from MSI, is a 12-inch ultra-portable driven by AMD Fusion "Zacate" E-350 dual-core accelerated processing unit (APU), the x86-64 processor cores are clocked at 1.60 GHz, and feature the latest instruction sets. The APU embeds AMD Radeon HD 6310 graphics that's DirectX 11 compliant, featuring UVD 3.0 video acceleration. The third key component is 4 GB of DDR3 memory.

The Wind U270 uses MSI's tried and tested 12-inch Wind chassis with Chiclet keyboard. Other hardware specifications include 320 GB (500 GB optional) hard drive based storage, WiFi b/g/n, gigabit Ethernet, display connectivity that includes D-Sub, and HDMI; two USB 3.0 ports, card reader, and VGA webcam. Although battery life isn't mentioned, the notebook features an Eco mode that conserves power.

Acer will be one of the first adopters of AMD's "Brazos" Fusion platform for its netbooks. The company is developing a new 10-inch Aspire One model, the Aspire One 522, which makes use of AMD Fusion C-50 "Ontario" dual-core processor clocked at 1.00 GHz, with TDP of under 9W, and AMD Radeon HD 6250 graphics embedded. The x86-64 processor cores are based on the "Bobcat" architecture, feature the latest instruction sets, while the graphics core supports DirectX 11 and UVD 3.0 video acceleration.

The 10.1-inch screen features a native resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, which can be extended onto a HDTV or a monitor using HDMI. Most other features including connectivity are similar to existing Aspire One netbooks. The battery can provide 6 hours of usage on full charge. Acer is expected to unveil this powerful netbook in early 2011.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA EPIA-P830 Pico-ITX board for advanced portable and network connected embedded applications. The VIA EPIA-P830 features the VIA Nano E-Series processor and the latest VIA VX900 media system processor with additional support for dual Mini-PCIe modules, bringing a wealth of 3G and wireless connectivity options.

"Modern enterprise environments in healthcare, logistics and fleet management require more connected and portable devices that don't hold back on multimedia ability," said Daniel Wu, Vice President, VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies, Inc. "The VIA EPIA-P830 addresses these needs, creating the most complete Pico-ITX board on the market with great HD video performance and a variety of display and network connectivity options."

The first motherboard that brings the AMD Fusion "Brazos" platform to nettops was pictured, the GA-E350V-USB3, which is a mini-ITX motherboard that makes use of AMD Fusion E-350 accelerated processing unit (APU), and Hudson M1 chipset. AMD is targeting the nettop and HTPC markets with such motherboards, also as competitors to Atom and new Pentium Dual-Core (LGA1156/LGA1155) desktops. The GA-E350V-USB3 makes use of Gigabyte's Ultra Durable 3 construction that makes use of a PCB with 2x copper layers, solid-state capacitors, low RDS (on) MOSFETs, and ferrite core chokes.

The board uses a 3+2 phase power design. The Fusion E-350, like the Intel Atom, is hard-wired to the board, and cooled by a small fan-heatsink. It connects to two DDR3 DIMM slots for single-channel DDR3-1800+ MHz memory. The lone expansion slot is a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x8). The Fusion APU packs two x86-64 cores clocked at 1.60 GHz, and an AMD Radeon HD 6310 graphics processor that features 80 stream processors, and clock speed of 500 MHz. Connectivity include four SATA 3 Gb/s ports, 8-channel HD audio, two USB 3.0 ports, display connectivity includes DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. Pricing and availability are not known, as AMD didn't officially launch the platform.

TYAN, an industry-leading server platform manufacturer, and a subsidiary of MiTAC International Corp., today announced four server platforms that are fully compatible with AMD FireStream GPU compute accelerators.

The AMD FireStream GPU compute accelerators are general purpose graphics processing units that deliver exceptional floating point processing capabilities, and are used widely in HPC, cloud and enterprise-scale applications, helping reduce cycle times with up to 2.64 TFLOPs of single precision performance.

At its annual Financial Analyst Day, AMD (NYSE: AMD) demonstrated how its unique combination of CPU and GPU computing technologies on a single die will enable breakthrough capabilities in an innovative processor design with planned OEM system availability in early 2011. AMD executives detailed how this new class of processor, AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), is poised to create a sustained position of advantage by powering demanding PC workloads in sleek form factors with long battery life, pacing future AMD growth. AMD Fusion APUs are built from DirectX 11-capable GPU technology and either low-power or high-performance multi-core x86 CPU technology. These APUs are designed to vastly improve today's Internet, video processing and playback, and gaming (client and online) experiences. For the first time, AMD also demonstrated its new high-performance x86 multi-core CPU architecture codenamed "Bulldozer" and provided additional information around the "Bulldozer" launch schedule.

AMD today announced additional infrastructure and channel support for its AMD Opteron 6000 Series platform, the world's first 8- and 12-core x86 processor, addressing the needs of server customers worldwide with its unprecedented price/performance/watt. Since introducing the AMD Opteron 6000 Series platform earlier this year, the continued expansion of channel support and product lineups has helped drive a broad portfolio of highly customized solutions, available for small and medium businesses, enterprises and HPC environments.

Adding to the growing list of AMD Opteron 6100 Series-based channel products deployed in high-performance computing (HPC) environments, a major institution of higher education in Europe recently selected 2U, GPU-optimized Twin servers from AMD channel partner Supermicro for its flagship supercomputer. Furthermore, a nationally ranked research university in the United States recently deployed a 324-node/100 Teraflops system from AMD channel partner Appro to help solve critical research science using AMD Opteron 6100 Series processors.

The Portland Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of STMicroelectronics and a leading supplier of compilers for high-performance computing (HPC), today announced it is developing a CUDA C compiler targeting systems based on the industry-standard general-purpose 64- and 32-bit x86 architectures. The new PGI CUDA C compiler for x86 platforms will be demonstrated at the SC10 Supercomputing conference taking place in New Orleans, LA, November 13-15, 2010.

The NVIDIA CUDA architecture was developed to enable offloading computationally intensive kernels to massively parallel GPUs. Through function calls and language extensions, CUDA gives developers explicit control over the mapping of general-purpose computational kernels to GPUs, as well as the placement and movement of data between an x86 processor and the GPU.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA EPIA-M850 Mini-ITX board, the first board to feature the latest VIA VX900 media system processor, creating the ideal solution for today's HD-intensive, commercial multimedia-centric devices.

The VIA EPIA-M850 is targeted at OEM and ODM manufacturers of commercial multimedia embedded devices. Featuring a 64-bit, high performance VIA Nano E-Series processor and the VIA VX900 unified all-in-one media system processor, the VIA EPIA-M850 delivers a highly optimized platform that boasts comprehensive HD video performance, HD audio and HDMI support in a compact, power-efficient package.

VIA, in its recent announcement about posting a net loss of US $45 million for 1H 2010, revealed plans about future products and manufacturing process transitions with which it hopes to return to profits. These include release of dual-core VIA Nano processors based on a new manufacturing process due for released later this year, the new VN11 chipset that will embed DirectX 11 compliant integrated graphics, which it will released next year. The company also announced that it will release a new quad-core CPU in 2011, which is the company's first. VIA is only the third company that is an active license-holder of the x86 instruction set. Even as much larger x86 manufacturers such as Intel and AMD battle it out, VIA designs processors for low-power applications such as embedded industrial computers, and netbook/ULPC processors such as the VIA Nano and VIA C3.

At the ongoing IFA event in Berlin, AMD displayed one of the first derivatives of its Bobcat low-power x86 processor architecture, codenamed "Ontario". This Fusion APU (accelerated processing unit), which is a combination of an x86 CPU and a DirectX 11 compliant GPU is built for low-power devices such as netbooks, handhelds, and tablets. AMD also showed off the chip package itself, which is roughly the size of a 1 Euro coin. The package, like AMD's mobile Athlon/Phenom processors, has no integrated heatspreader (IHS), but like the Intel Atom, uses a ball-grid array (BGA) to permanently fix itself to the system board.

AMD claims that the chip offers "mainstream performance" at less than half the die area (in this case, below 100 mm²), and a fraction of the power. Speaking of which, the "Ontario" Fusion APU has a TDP of 9W, while a higher-performance APU codenamed "Zacate", which is probably competitive with Intel's CULV processors, and is built for ultra-thin notebooks, nettops and slim all-in-one PCs, has a TDP of 18W. AMD claims that the two will ship (to OEMs, because these are not end-user products) in Q4 2010. For the desktop, AMD is developing the "Llano" Fusion APUs that are of a different form-factor and package altogether.

AMD's answer to a lot of Intel's processors in the low-power category, be it the Core i3/i5 "Clarkdale", Core CULV, or even the Atom, seems to have finally taken shape with "Bobcat". This processor is a major design overhaul, as it integrates a number of key components, including a GPU. Since the GPU component is so complex and integrated with the rest of the processor at such a level, AMD decided to name the processor an "Accelerated Processing Unit" or APU. Beyond just driving video and 3D graphics, the GPU component of Bobcat is designed to lend a hand to the CPU cores whenever needed.

The GPU doubles up as a raw SIMD engine array that works with applications over OpenCL and ATI Stream technologies to step up performance. The "Bobcat" Fusion APU integrates x86 processor cores with a high-performance switch that doubles up as a memory controller, which connects to a SIMD engine, a UVD display controller, and platform interfaces that include connection to the southbridge chipset and display I/O.

AMD is finally going to embrace a truly next generation x86 processor architecture that is built from ground up. AMD's current architecture, the K10(.5) "Stars" is an evolution of the more market-successful K8 architecture, but it didn't face the kind of market success as it was overshadowed by competing Intel architectures. AMD codenamed its latest design "Bulldozer", and it features an x86 core design that is radically different from anything we've seen from either processor giants. With this design, AMD thinks it can outdo both HyperThreading and Multi-Core approaches to parallelism, in one shot, as well as "bulldoze" through serial workloads with a broad 8 integer pipeline per core, (compared to 3 on K10, and 4 on Westmere). Two almost-individual blocks of integer processing units share a common floating point unit with two 128-bit FMACs.

AMD is also working on a multi-threading technology of its own to rival Intel's HyperThreading, that exploits Bulldozer's branched integer processing backed by shared floating point design, which AMD believes to be so efficient, that each SMT worker thread can be deemed a core in its own merit, and further be backed by competing threads per "core". AMD is working on another micro-architecture codenamed "Bobcat", which is a downscale implementation of Bulldozer, with which it will take on low-power and high performance per Watt segments that extend from all-in-One PCs all the way down to hand-held devices and 8-inch tablets. We will explore the Bulldozer architecture in some detail.

Worldwide PC microprocessor unit shipments and revenues in the second calendar quarter of 2010 (2Q10) increased 3.6% and 6.2%, respectively, compared to the first quarter of 2010, according to the latest PC processor study from International Data Corporation (IDC).

The average sequential change in unit shipments between a calendar year's first quarter and its second quarter is an increase of 1.6%. For revenues, the average sequential change is a decrease of -2.8%. So, these increases represent better performance than usual for a second calendar quarter.

"Such a sequential increase in PC processor shipments alone would have been enough to conclude that the first half was strong for the market," said Shane Rau director of Semiconductors: Personal Computing research at IDC. "However, a modest rise in revenues, too, points directly to a rise in average selling prices. System makers bought more and higher-priced PC processors in 2Q10 than in 1Q10. Digging a little deeper into the numbers shows that they bought more mobile processors and more server processors, while desktop processors remained flat."

MSI's entry to the reinvigorated tablet PC market is the WindPad 100, which gets showcased at the IFA event in Berlin. Unlike tablets such as the Apple iPad, the MSI WindPad 100 is based on the Intel x86 architecture, running Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. The tablet features a multi-touchscreen 10.1" display, and is loaded with connectors in all sides, such as USB 2.0, an SDHC-compatible card reader, front-facing 1.3 megapixel webcam and HDMI to connect to displays and projectors.

Under its hood is a second-generation Intel Atom Z530 processor, 2 GB of DDR3 memory, and possible HDD/SSD options for storage. Connectivity for the tablet includes USB 2.0, 3G HSDPA, and WiFi b/g/n, though it can be expanded by an optional dock, which lets you convert the tablet to a desktop PC. The dock provides USB 2.0, audio expansion, gigabit Ethernet, D-Sub and HDMI display outputs, apart from doubling up as the tablet's battery-charging cradle.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced device development kits for the VIA AMOS-5000 series, facilitating a more rational design infrastructure for a broad range of application-specific and fanless Em-ITX-based devices.

VIA AMOS-5000 series development kits combine application specific VIA EM-IO expansion modules with specially designed extendable aluminum chassis kits. This allows embedded OEM and ODM customers to easily and quickly develop a variety of fanless embedded box systems suited to for a range of applications.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced it latest Mini-ITX board, the VIA EPIA-M840, designed for a range of embedded device designs including advanced industrial and factory management applications.

The VIA EPIA-M840 packs the latest 64-bit VIA Nano E-Series processor, dual Gigabit LAN, eight COM ports and support for two dual channel 24-bit LVDS displays, creating the ideal backbone for a range of embedded applications including intelligent industrial automation applications that integrate remote network access, network management and other advanced application management scenarios.

Closely trailing ASUS' launch of the Eee Pad compact tablet, MSI displayed its Wind Touch 10.5 inch tablet. Wanting to cash in on the replenished tablet PC segment, Wind Touch, like the Eee Pad, offers the advantage of being powered by the Intel x86 architecture, driven by an Atom processor, and running Windows 7 operating system. While giving you the ability to run all your Windows applications, the tablet has MSI's own multi-touch enhanced user interface that makes it easy to do all essential tasks. Apart from sporting most common connectivity features such as WiFi, the tablet has a built-in web camera. There is no word on when MSI releases it to the market, though it shouldn't take very long given consumers' newfound love for compact tablets.

ASUS displayed its latest creation, the Eee Pad. This 12 inch tablet has sports uncanny resemblance to the Apple iPad, except that it's x86 powered, and uses Windows 7, with ASUS' own visually-appealing UI. It can run any Windows application that its hardware allows, which includes Intel Core 2 Duo CULV, and Intel graphics. The UI takes advantage of the multi-touch screen and related abilities of the Windows 7 Home Premium OS it comes bundled with. Other known details include a web-camera, and a battery that is rated to last 10 hours on a full charge. ASUS will also introduce a slightly smaller 10 inch tablet which uses Windows 7 Embedded Compact, a new variant of the OS designed for devices such as these. The two will be out in Q1 2011.