AMD extends its ambidextrous strategy to embedded customers and offers a choice of ARM or x86 SoC, APU or CPU options coupled with AMD Radeon graphics.
The company today disclosed its roadmap for the embedded computing market. The new lineup includes two x86 accelerated processing units (APUs) and
central processing units (CPUs), a first look at a high-performance ARM
system-on-chip (SoC) and a new family of discrete AMD Embedded Radeon
graphics processing units (GPUs) expected to launch in 2014.
AMD wants to customize more of its chips for a wide range of non-PC devices.
It expects PC chip designs modified for those new devices to account for at
least a fifth of its revenue by the end of 2013.
"There are different customer needs in different segments of this market --
from low-power to high-performance, Linux to Windows, x86 to ARM -- and now
with our upcoming product portfolio, we are addressing them by providing
embedded design engineers with a range of solutions backed by our embedded
longevity program for supply stability assurance to fit their every need,"
said Arun Iyengar, vice president and general manager, AMD Embedded
Solutions.
In 2014, AMD plans to bring to market two new high-performance AMD Embedded
R-Series processor families: the "Hierofalcon" CPU SoC family based on the
ARM Cortex-A57 architecture and the "Bald Eagle" APU and CPU offering based
on the x86 microprocessor architecture codenamed "Steamroller." The upcoming
"Steppe Eagle" APU SoC is designed to provide improved performance while
extending the low-power characteristics of the current AMD Embedded G-Series
SoC family. In addition, "Adelaar" will bring to market the first discrete
GPU based on AMD Graphics Core Next architecture for embedded systems.
"Hierofalcon" is the first 64-bit ARM-based platform from AMD targeting
embedded data center applications, communications infrastructure and
industrial solutions. It will include up to eight ARM Cortex-A57 CPUs
expected to run up to 2.0 GHz, and provides high-performance memory with two
64-bit DDR3/4 channels with error correction code (ECC). The highly
integrated SoC includes 10 Gb KR Ethernet and PCI-Express Gen 3 for
high-speed network connectivity. The "Hierofalcon" series also provides
security with support for ARM TrustZone technology and a dedicated
cryptographic security co-processor, aligning to the increased need for
networked, secure systems. "Hierofalcon" is expected to be sampling in the
second quarter of 2014 with production in the second half of the year.
"Bald Eagle" is the next generation high-performance x86-based embedded
processor available as both an APU and CPU featuring up to four new
"Steamroller" CPU cores within a 35W TDP. The APU products will provide the
new power-optimized AMD Radeon Graphics Core Next GPU architecture and HSA
enhancements for high-performance embedded applications - a solution for
next-generation digital signage and embedded digital gaming. The "Bald
Eagle" family will also introduce new power management features, such as
configurable TDP, allowing engineers more design flexibility. "Bald Eagle"
is expected to be available in the first half of 2014.
"Steppe Eagle" will further extend the performance and low-power range of
the current AMD Embedded G-Series APU SoC platform with an enhanced "Jaguar"
CPU core architecture and AMD Graphics Core Next GPU architecture that
include new features for increased CPU and GPU frequency. Designed for
low-power embedded applications, "Steppe Eagle" is designed to offer
increased performance-per-watt both at a lower TDP than the current AMD
Embedded G-Series APU SoC, as well as extending the high-end performance
above 2 GHz. "Steppe Eagle" also provides embedded design engineers the
flexibility to leverage the current AMD Embedded G-Series APU SoC board
design and software stack for a variety of applications with footprint
compatibility. "Steppe Eagle" is expected to be available in the first half
of 2014.
"Adelaar" is the next-generation discrete AMD Embedded Radeon GPU based on
Graphics Core Next architecture specifically designed for embedded
applications. Bringing high performance to embedded applications, "Adelaar"
comes as a market-differentiating multi-chip module (MCM) with pre-qualified
and integrated 2 GB of graphics memory. The "Adelaar" GPU family will
deliver rich 3D graphics, multi-display support and support for DirectX
11.1, OpenGL 4.2 and both Windows and Linux. "Adelaar" is expected to be
available in the first half of 2014 with seven years of planned supply
availability as an MCM, mobile PCI express module (MXM) and standard PC
graphics card.