14 DAY TRIAL // Sunnyvale, California-based Advanced Micro Devices has revealed details about one of its most anticipated products, namely the Llano microprocessor, which will combine a general-purpose x86 processor with an integrated graphics engine. Slated to debut sometime in 2011, according to the company's latest roadmap, the Llano chip will be part of AMD's upcoming Sabine platform, which will be based on the AMD 900-series core-logic and will be part of the chip maker's Fusion lineup.
The chip maker has showcased a die shot of the upcoming microprocessor, which was detailed by Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager of AMD's products group. According to said details, the Fusion processor will feature 4 x86 cores that resemble that of the company's current Propus processor (the Athlon II X4), combined with 6 SIMD engines, featuring 80 Stream processors per engine. The integrated graphics inside the Llano chip resemble that of the Evergreen GPU, which is at the base of the company's new line of Radeon HD 5800 series of GPUs.
Other features include an integrated PC3-12800 memory controller, 2MB of L2 cache (as opposed to previously leaked claims that the Llano would feature 4MB of L3 cache), 1 billion transistors and a 32nm silicon-on-insulator manufacturing process. The Llano is what the chip maker likes to call an APU, namely an accelerated processing unit, which will be combined with the future Sabine platform, designed to feature USB 3.0 and Serial ATA-600 on the company's future 900 series of chipsets.
AMD's Llano will have to compete with Intel's upcoming processors with integrated graphics, which will be available with the introduction of the Clarkdale and Arrandale chips. Unfortunately for AMD, Intel plans to release the said products next year, while AMD's Llano isn't scheduled for a debut until sometime in 2011.
