[McG]

It’s got roughly one billion 32nm transistors, fabbed at Globalfoundries. Four CPU cores and a single graphics core. It’s what AMD calls an Accelerated Processing Unit (APU). And we’ll see it in 2011. The APU, codenamed Llano, was originally scheduled for 2010 but got pushed back. In 2009/2010 Intel will be the first to deliver on-chip graphics with Clarkdale/Arrandale, and in late 2010 Sandy Bridge will have on-die graphics. The first APU will use the existing Phenom II architecture on the same die as DX11 graphics, but at 32nm. Sandy Bridge will use a brand new microprocessor architecture on 32nm but with updated Intel integrated graphics. It looks like Sandy Bridge will have the CPU advantage while Llano might have the GPU advantage, assuming Intel can't get their GPU act together by then. Llano is on schedule to debut in 2011 with OEM sampling happening before the end of the year.

Based on the die shot displayed by Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager of AMD’s products group, the first Fusion processor from AMD will feature 4 x86 cores that resemble those of Propus processor (AMD Athlon II X4) as well as 6 SIMD engines (with 80 stream processors per engine) that resemble those of Evergreen graphics chip (ATI Radeon HD 5800), PC3-12800 (DDR3 1600MHz) memory controller, possibly, with some tweaks to better serve x86 and graphics engines. The processor lacks unified L3 in order to reduce manufacturing cost, but will have 2MB of L2 cache (512KB per core), which contradicts to previously available information that the chip has 4MB of L3. AMD’s Llano will feature around 1 billion of transistors, which is logical since AMD’s Propus processor has around 300 million of transistors, whereas 480 stream processors and additional special purpose logic includes around 600 million of transistors. The chip will be made using 32nm silicon-on-insulator fabrication process.


Desktop

Next year the high end platform will be called Leo. It’s made up of a Thuban CPU, which is an updated Phenom II rev sporting as many as six cores. It’s still 45nm so don’t expect much in the way of new architectural features. Graphics comes courtesy of the Radeon HD 5000 series, which we all know and love. The chipset is going to be AMD’s new 8-series, complete with a new SB850 south bridge. In 2011 we get Bulldozer and it comes in the form of the Zambezi CPU (AMD’s codenames are such fun). You’ll see four and eight core versions of Zambezi. Both will support DDR3 and both will work in Socket-AM3. Obviously guaranteeing motherboard support this early in the game is difficult, but AMD is usually good about maintaining socket compatibility. You may be able to slip a Zambezi into your current day Socket-AM3 motherboards.

The 2011 mainstream desktop platform is called Lynx, purr. It comes with the Llano APU, which as I mentioned before, doesn’t use Bulldozer. Instead Llano is made up of as many as four 32nm Phenom II-like cores. Llano also features an integrated DX11 GPU. Llano will require a new socket as the pinout will have to support video out just like Intel’s Clarkdale. AMD’s first APUs drop in 2011, but what happens in 2012? Intel is committed to new microprocessor architectures every 2 years as a part of its tick-tock strategy. AMD’s GPU-inspired equivalent is called Velocity. Velocity also means that even if it’s difficult getting more performance out of a CPU architecture, AMD can always rely on a beefed up GPU core to give users a reason to upgrade.

Mobile

For mainstream notebooks today AMD doesn’t really offer anything sexy. We have the Tigris platform based on the Caspian CPU (45nm Athlon II X2 derivative) and RS880M chipset with integrated Radeon HD 4300 series graphics (DX10.1). Next year we get the Danube platform, complete with Champlain CPU (Athlon II X2 or X4 derivative) and relatively similar graphics to what we have now. Like the desktop roadmap, things don’t get interesting until 2011; that’s when we meet Sabine. Sabine comes with a Llano APU, just like the desktop, and four 32nm Phenom II-like cores.

Server

The Maranello platform is AMD’s high end server platform, due out in 2010. It supports the 8 and 12 core Magny Cours processors. These are multi-chip-modules with two quad or hexa core die on a single package. With twice the die, you get twice the memory controllers. Magny Cours has four DDR3 memory channels. With more memory channels, Magny Cours needs a new, higher pincount socket which AMD is calling Socket G34. The chips will be branded as Opteron 6000 series. San Marino is the second major server platform of 2010 and it’s for more normal servers. Four and six core Lisbon processors find their homes in San Marino. There’s also a low power Adelaide platform that’ll be available. These Lisbon processors will be branded as Opteron 4000 series chips and will work in Socket C32. In 2011 we get Interlagos and Valencia platforms, both based on AMD’s next-generation Bulldozer cores. Interlagos is a Socket-G34 platform supporting 12 and 16 core processors, while Valencia is Socket-C32 and can accommodate 6/8 core chips.

Izvor: AnandTech i Xbit-Labs