SAN FRANCISCO—Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) this week introduced an accelerated processing unit (APU) targeted at very low power, small form factor and cost-sensitive embedded designs that require a combination of x86 compatibility and graphics.
AMD (Sunnyvale, Calif.) said the embedded G-T16R APU, the latest addition to its
Embedded G-Series processor family, consumes just 2.3 watts on average or 4.5 watts thermal design power.
The AMD G-T16R offers embedded product designers a seamless upgrade path for legacy applications, AMD said. The product fits into small form factor boards by implementing a two-chip platform, the APU and its companion controller hub. It also boasts legacy I/O card support based on a full 32-bit PCI interface and an ISA bus solution with DMA support, as well as support for a range of display technologies, AMD said.
Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research, said through a statement issued by AMD that it is critical that the latest Embedded G-Series APU provide compatibility with existing x86 processors while supporting the latest interface technologies. "Having a simple migration path allows engineers to develop robust designs using the latest DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort display technologies," McGregor said.
There are already more than 50 standard form factor motherboards available supporting the AMD Embedded G-Series platform, ranging from the small Qseven computer-on-modules to the MiniITX form factor, AMD said.
AMD said the G-T16R APU offers a cost-effective upgrade path for uses of AMD's Geode LX processor family, consuming about 7 percent less power with three times the performance of the 2.45-watt AMD Geode LX processor, while reducing the overall chip footprint by 58 percent.
"With the AMD G-T16R APU, we were striving for that critical balance of performance, power efficiency and cost for power and cost-sensitive embedded applications, and we’ve achieved it," said Arun Iyengar, corporate vice president and general manager of AMD's Embedded Solutions group. "This new APU helps to enable small form factor and fan-less designs with power consumption of just 2.3 watts on average."
AMD also announced this week that it is extending the planned availability for the entire AMD Embedded G-Series processor family through 2017, resetting the five-year clock for both existing and new designs.