AMD Changing the industry
Technology company AMD continues to be at the forefront of technology evolution and innovation for the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) that power tablets, personal computers, next-generation games consoles and servers.
A company of firsts
In 2000, AMD was the first company to launch a 1GHz-clocked CPU processor, followed by the first x86 dual-core processor in 2004, first native quad-core server chip in 2006, and first 8- and 12-core x86 processors in 2010. AMD, too, has a rich history in providing the world's finest consumer and professional graphics cards, headlined by the dual-GPU Radeon HD 7990 in 2013.
AMD's technical excellence has been duly recognised by console manufacturers, with the company's hardware in every major next-generation console, including Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox One and Nintendo Wii U. Such overwhelming support for AMD's technology in consoles is also very good news for PC gamers who purchase AMD-based graphics cards, because the similarity in forthcoming console and PC graphics architectures will enable games developers to optimise their software for AMD's GPUs.
Open standards are key
Forward-looking architectures, seamless integration of CPU and GPUs on to one piece of silicon, and an open-minded, industry-encompassing approach are some of the main reasons why there's such broad acceptance of AMD technology. AMD's collaborative approach in promoting open standards, such as OpenCL, and robust performance makes its value-conscious products an excellent fit for a wide range of manufacturers... from tablet designers to server specialists.
AMD has been able to positively influence the technology industry through its unique position as a manufacturer of CPUs and GPUs. With general computing becoming more reliant on multimedia performance - graphics (gaming), video (YouTube) - and a rapidly-growing number of well-known PC applications leveraging the parallel processing power of GPUs through Open CL, AMD has been delivering all-in-one chips, called Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), that fully meet the needs of modern computing.
APUs are the future of the PC
AMD is committed to designing the very best chips for today's and tomorrow's PCs and games consoles. Leveraging the benefits of the CPU-and-GPU-powered APUs and improving them generation-on-generation by promoting and adopting the latest industry-wide standards, the future looks rosy for AMD.
APUs will be given a further boost at the start of next year when another AMD-led initiative called Heterogeneous System Architecture (HSA) takes fuller shape. HSA is a system that enables the CPU and GPU to work more efficiently together, thereby increasing performance, reducing power-draw and making it easier for developers to tap into the considerable computational resources afforded by the latest chips.
AMD is a company whose enviable position as a leading manufacturer of CPUs and GPUs has enabled it to be the go-to choice for next-generation games consoles, affordable PCs and servers. Adopting a holistic, all-embracing approach by promoting open standards, AMD is acutely aware that the entire industry only moves forward when there's open and sensible collaboration between hardware and software companies.
