AMD has kicked off its Fusion Developer Summit in Bellevue, Washington with the formal launch of its next-gen A-Series APU, previously codenamed “Llano.”
According to a number of AMD execs, including Manu Hegde, Neal Robison and Rick Bergman, the A-Series APU will enable a “truly immersive” computing experience for notebooks as well as desktops.
To be sure, the new APU lineup is capable of rendering high-quality graphics, “supercomputer-like” performance and approximately 10.5 hours of battery life.
“Our world is becoming an increasingly digital and visually place,” Neal Robison explained during a press briefing Monday afternoon.
“We understand end-users are placing a real priority on multitasking, vivid graphics, lifelike games, lag-free videos and high-end multimedia performance.”
As such, AMD A-Series APUs combine up to four x86 CPU cores with DX11-capable discrete-level graphics, and up to 400 Radeon cores along with dedicated HD video processing on a single chip.
In addition, the next-gen APUs are expected to help facilitate the rapid implementation of gestural interfaces, multi-monitor support, 3D entertainment and real-time image stabilization.
“The A-Series APU represents an inflection point for AMD. It heralds the arrival of all-new computing experiences, and enables unprecedented graphics and video performance in notebooks and PC,” said Rick Bergman.
“With up to 400 gigaflops for notebook, and up to 500 gigaflops for desktops, [the new] APUs ensure users have the horsepower needed to handle the most demanding applications. Beginning today we are bringing discrete-class graphics to the mainstream.”
Also introduced alongside the A-Series APU is a new feature dubbed “Steady Video” – which is designed to stabilize videos during playback – making unsteady, jumpy content look steady and smooth.
AMD A-Series APUs are already shipping to a number of prominent OEMs, and remain on track to power more than 150 notebooks and desktops during the second quarter of 2011.
