AMD has provided preliminary details of its future “Brazos” platform for notebook, netbook and desktop systems.
According to Fusion marketing director John Taylor, “Brazos” will be available in two distinct APU configurations:
- An 18-watt TDP APU codenamed “Zacate” for ultrathin, mainstream and value notebooks as well as desktops and all-in-ones.
- A a 9-watt APU dubbed “Ontario” for netbooks and other small form factor desktops and devices.
“Both low-power APU versions feature two ‘Bobcat’ x86 cores and fully support DirectX11, DirectCompute (Microsoft programming interface for GPU computing) and OpenCL (cross-platform programming interface standard for multi-core x86 and accelerated GPU computing),” confirmed Taylor.
“In addition, both ‘Zacate’ and ‘Ontario’ include UVD dedicated hardware acceleration for HD video [up to] 1080p resolutions.”
Taylor also noted that the dual, low-sipping “Bobcat” cores were capable of delivering mainstream CPU performance in less than one-half the die area with a “fraction” of the power.
AMD plans to ramp production of both APU iterations in 2010, with the first systems containing the chips slated to hit the streets in early 2011.
