AMD Completes ATI Acquisition and Creates Processing Powerhouse

[SUBMAN1]

Fusion means both CPU and GPU on the same Silicon. Check the announcement.


-S




AMD Completes ATI Acquisition and Creates Processing Powerhouse

Focused to Drive Innovation, Choice and Growth in the Industry with First Platform Solutions in 2007
Unveils ''Fusion'' Initiative for Industry’s First Integrated CPU/GPU Silicon Solutions


http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20061024006371&newsLang=en

[JSLTIGER]

It'll be interesting to see if Intel cuts support for all ATI products running on its chipsets and/or if they stop ATI chipsets for Intel chips in order to spite AMD.

[TteFAboB]

Hmm, they make dual core CPUs, they'll make quad-core soon, why not take the advantage of this "integrated" CPU/GPU mobo and make it capable of using an extra video card for a "dual" GPU PC?

:D

There will still be room for a physics card right? Somebody might probably be able to put them to good use by 2009.

[SUBMAN1]

Hmm, they make dual core CPUs, they'll make quad-core soon, why not take the advantage of this "integrated" CPU/GPU mobo and make it capable of using an extra video card for a "dual" GPU PC?

:D

There will still be room for a physics card right? Somebody might probably be able to put them to good use by 2009.

I think the integration factor will improve perf. Only problem is, could end up costing a bit by having to buy both vid card and CPU on one go around, when before you could just upgrade one or the other. Then again, with all the new buses coming out like PCI-E, they forced me to do it all at one time anyway. Now with the next rev of PCI-E on the way, they will again do it again! So maybe it doesn't matter in the long run?

-S

[scandium]

Hmm, they make dual core CPUs, they'll make quad-core soon, why not take the advantage of this "integrated" CPU/GPU mobo and make it capable of using an extra video card for a "dual" GPU PC?

:D

There will still be room for a physics card right? Somebody might probably be able to put them to good use by 2009.
I think the integration factor will improve perf. Only problem is, could end up costing a bit by having to buy both vid card and CPU on one go around, when before you could just upgrade one or the other. Then again, with all the new buses coming out like PCI-E, they forced me to do it all at one time anyway. Now with the next rev of PCI-E on the way, they will again do it again! So maybe it doesn't matter in the long run?

-S
Major heat/cooling/manufacturing barriers to overcome first... I admit I'm a little out of touch with the latest tech, but last I checked AMD was still only down to a 65 nm silicon wafer and I don't think ATI has even shrunk theirs yet to a 90 have they? So first AMD/ATI has to figure out how to integrate the tech from the larger ATI GPU into their relatively new 65 nm silicon wafer and then build or retrofit a plant to produce it... so that convergence is at least a year or two off, though in the meantime both companies should be able to benefit from the various licensing/partnerships each has and the shared intellectual property that they now have access to, plus the broader mutually beneficial market and all that entails.

I see this as a good merger given that both companies are underdogs that are up against the monsters that are Intel (which has gained entry into the console market through the MS Xbox license agreement and aquired the rights to make CPUs now for Apple as well) and NVidia which aquired the IP to develop SLI on the cheap through its aquisition of its defunct former nemisis 3dfx...

So I give this merger two :up:

And normally I hate seeing mergers in the IT world as they tend to reduce/eliminate competition, but this one is good since it kills any chance of the giant that is NVidia gaining control of the much smaller ATI competitor and with it a monopoly on the video card industry (which would be just as disasterous as Intel aquiring AMD, but I think they missed that opportunity already).