Jan 4, 2011 13:05 GMT  ·  By

AMD Fusion's platform might have just gone official today, but, as we all know only too well, it's been in the works for a very, very long period of time, and for this reason, the fact that it's actually backed by quite a serious ecosystem (both hardware and software) shouldn't really come as much of a surprise.

So, working closely with software vendors, developers and motherboard suppliers, AMD has built a coalition of industry innovators committed to providing devices and applications that leverage the combined x86 computing power and discrete-level graphics performance of AMD Fusion APUs.

First and foremost, the coalition includes a variety of middleware and tools providers to offer software development kits that facilitate the use of industry-standard application programming interfaces (APIs) such as OpenCL, OpenGL, Direct2D and DirectCompute.

AMD further supports the optimization of software for AMD Fusion APUs with AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing (APP) technology, which helps developers more easily tap into the combined power of the GPU and CPU to accelerate existing applications and create new possibilities in software.

Additionally, this select group also includes the developers of a variety of applications that span multimedia, gaming, productivity, web browsing, facial recognition, video conferencing and more, including Adobe, ArcSoft, Codemasters, Corel, CyberLink, DivX, EA / BioWare, Earthsim, Firaxis, Gazillion, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Windows, Nuvixa, Roxio, Sega, Turbine, Viewdle and ViVu. AMD motherboard partners are also innovating around the launch of the first AMD Fusion APUs, as leading original design manufacturers (ODMs), including ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI and Sapphire, have announced integrated APU/motherboard products for the first PC platforms featuring AMD Fusion APUs. “AMD and its partners are leading the way to a new era of computing distinguished by immersive entertainment, outstanding Internet browsing and fast, efficient processing of digital workloads,” said John Taylor, director, AMD Client and Software Product Marketing.

“The creation of a robust x86- and GPU computing-based ecosystem to enable these next-generation experiences is the culmination of long-standing collaboration with developers, software and tools vendors, and component suppliers, as well as technology investments made possible by the AMD Fusion Fund,” concluded the company's rep.