At SIGGRAPH 2010, AMD today announced availability of the first software driver for desktop computing environments to support the WebGL industry standard, which is designed to bring plugin-free 3D graphics to the Internet.

The AMD OpenGL ES 2.0 driver is intended to help developers create 3D content that can be rendered more quickly for consumers using open-source web browser.

"AMD is a steadfast supporter of industry standards, including those that unlock the power of GPU acceleration," said Manju Hegde, corporate vice president, AMD Fusion Experience Program. "At AMD, we see the future of computing as being intensely visual, requiring a variety of rich media 2D and 3D applications. With functionality like the OpenGL ES 2.0 driver and technology breakthroughs made possible by AMD Fusion APUs, we aim to deliver the ideal development platform for immersive experiences both online and natively on virtually any PC form factor."

In addition to enabling 3D and application-like experiences on the web, AMD?s new driver empowers software developers to use desktop PCs and workstations powered by AMD graphics, as opposed to embedded systems, when creating applications based on OpenGL ES 2.0 for smartphones, tablets and other portable devices. And a common OpenGL ES programming environment makes it easier for developers to port software applications between PCs and handhelds.

Industry association The Khronos Group is developing the open, cross-platform WebGL standard, which is expected to be available later this year. According to Khronos, browser vendors Apple (Safari), Google (Chrome), Mozilla (Firefox), and Opera (Opera) are contributors of the WebGL Working Group.

The OpenGL ES 2.0 driver from AMD will be generally available with the upcoming ATI Catalyst 10.7 beta for OpenGL ES 2.0, expected to be available later today. The OpenGL ES 2.0 driver will be supported on all currently available AMD graphics products introduced since 2008, including ATI Radeon desktop graphics, ATI Mobility Radeon graphics, and ATI FirePro professional graphics cards.

To download ATI Catalyst 10.7 Beta OpenGL ES 2.0, visit http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/GPU74ATICat107PreviewDriver.aspx