AMD, in its presentation at the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2010, presented its plan to build its much talked about 'Fusion' processor platform, codenamed Llano, central to which, is the Accelerated Processing Unit (APU). AMD's APU is expected to be the first design to embed a multi-core x86 CPU and a GPU onto a single die. This design goes a notch ahead of Intel's recently released 'Clarkdale' processor, where Intel strapped a 32 nm dual-core CPU die and a 45 nm northbridge die with integrated graphics, onto an MCM (multi chip module) package. Llano is also expected to feature four processing cores, along with other design innovations.

Some of the most notable announcements in AMD's presentation is that the company will begin sampling the chip to its industry partners within the first half of 2010. The Llano die will be build on a 32 nm High-K Metal Gate process. On this process, each x86 core will be as small as 9.69 mm². Other important components on the Llano die are a DDR3 memory controller, on-die northbridge, and a DirectX 11 compliant graphics core derived from the Evergreen family of GPUs. The x86 cores are expected to run at speeds of over 3 GHz. Each core has 1 MB of dedicated L2 cache, taking the total chip cache size to 4 MB.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced its latest technology platform for fleet management device designs. The VIA EPIA-P710-D is a Pico-ITXe expansion module that allows system integrators to easily create cutting-edge fleet management devices that incorporate a range of the latest communication and intelligent management technologies.

Designed for easy integration into the dashboard of any vehicle, this new fleet management hardware platform provides the advanced x86 backbone necessary for today's advanced fleet and logistics management applications including fuel management, active scheduling, advanced routing, asset monitoring and the latest emergency, safety and rescue features.

AMD's upcoming six-core desktop processor, codenamed "Thuban" is on course for a May 2010, suggests a report. The series is likely to receive the brand name Phenom II X6. There are four models planned for release within Q2, 2010. The Thuban core is AMD's desktop implementation of the Istanbul core, in the socket AM3 package, supporting dual-channel DDR3 memory. It is a monolithic multi-core design with six x86-64 cores, each with 128 KB of L1, 512 KB of L2 cache, and a 6 MB L3 cache shared between the six cores. Just as with K10 dual, triple, and quad core processors where AMD used a HyperTransport interface clock speed of 1800 MHz (3600 MT/s), or 2000 MHz (4000 MT/s), the new processor will take advantage of HyperTransport 3.x interface, with a HT speed of 2400 MHz (4800 MT/s). Thuban will be built on GlobalFoundaries' 45 nm node.

The table below lists out details of the four planned models. The model number of the top part isn't known. Most likely it is a Black Edition part, which comes with an unlocked BClk multiplier. It operates at 2.80 GHz, with a TDP of 140W. A step below is the Phenom II X6 1075T, which has an expected TDP of 125W, the 1055T is a notch below, and 1035T being the cheapest part. The exact clock speeds of the latter three models isn't known as yet. A month ahead of releasing these chips, AMD will announce the AMD 8-series chipset platform, led by 890FX (high-end, best for CrossFireX), 890GX (performance integrated graphics with CrossFire support). The AMD SB800 series southbridge chips will feature native support for SATA 6 Gb/s. Its on-die SATA controller gives out six SATA ports complete with RAID support. Some existing AM3 motherboards based on 7-series chipsets may also support Phenom II X6 with a BIOS update.

Worldwide PC microprocessor shipments in the fourth calendar quarter of 2009 (4Q09) rose modestly, compared to 3Q09, but still achieved all-time record levels for a single quarter, according to IDC's latest PC processor study. Notably, when compared to 4Q08, shipments in 4Q09 rose 31.3%. For the full year 2009, total PC processor unit shipments grew 2.5%, while revenue declined 7.1% to $28.6 billion.

"Compared to 3Q09, the modest rise in shipments in 4Q09 indicates that the market is returning to normal seasonal patterns," said Shane Rau, director of Semiconductors: Personal Computing research at IDC. "Compared to 4Q08, the huge rise in shipments indicates that the market has put the recession behind it. Both comparisons indicate that the PC industry anticipates improvement in PC end demand in 2010."

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA EPIA-T700: the first product based on the recently announced Mobile-ITX form factor. Measuring a mere 6cm x 6cm, the VIA EPIA-T700 is a uniquely compact computer-on-module that is designed for a range of ultra-compact embedded devices in medical, military and in-vehicle applications.

Designed to deliver a simple modular approach to device design that precipitates greater miniaturization and portability, the Mobile-ITX-based VIA EPIA-T700 makes it easier than ever before to design and manufacture compact devices. With customized carrier boards connected using ultra low profile 3mm connectors, the VIA EPIA-T700 is in a class of its own.

AMD today announced availability of the production release of its second-generation ATI Stream SDK, its second-generation ATI Stream SDK, the first production SDK for both AMD GPUs and x86 CPUs. This release of ATI Stream SDK v2.0 supports a wide range of ATI graphics processors, including the new ATI Radeon HD 5970, the world's fastest graphics card generating five teraflops of compute power. Enabling compute intensive codes to leverage all of the system's resources, the ATI Stream SDK v2.0 helps developers deliver a better application experience.

This release of AMD's ATI Stream SDK v2.0 provides developers, ISVs and OEMs with a production development environment that allows them to more easily accelerate applications. By enabling developers to utilize combined CPU and GPU computing power, ATI Stream technology helps developers to leverage heterogeneous architectures to improve the computing experience.

Intel's Atom processor platform will get its successor in the next-generation "Pine Trail" platform sooner than expected, what Intel refers to as a 'fast transition to the next-generation platform'. The company plans to detail the new platform for netbooks and nettops on the 21st of December, 2009, by means of a press release. Launches of products based on the new Atom N450 will start as early as by 4th January, 2010, in time for the CES 2010 event.

At the center of the Pine Trail platform is the "Pineview" processor. Unlike its predecessor, Pineview integrates a DDR2 memory controller, graphics processor, and a video decoding processor by Broadcom into a single package. The new processor will support the x86-64 instruction set, indicating that netbooks and nettops could use over 4 GB of memory very soon. The processor also comes with higher performance, and a brand new chipset. Sources reveal the following three initial models to X-bit labs:

• Intel Atom N450: single-core with Hyper-Threading support, 1.66GHz, 512KB cache, x86-64, BGA437 package, $63 price-point;
• Intel Atom D510: dual-core with Hyper-Threading support, 1.66GHz, 1MB cache, x86-64, BGA437 package, $63 price-point;
• Intel Atom D410: single-core with Hyper-Threading support, 1.66GHz, 512KB cache, x86-64, BGA437 package, $43 price-point.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA AMOS-5000, a specially designed chassis kit for Em-ITX form factor boards such as the VIA EITX-3000, offering fast and easy assembly of a variety of fanless, robust IPC designs.

Built using only five sections the VIA AMOS-5000 has the VIA-developed Em-ITX at its heart, offering developers a wealth of advantages including rich and versatile I/O configurations through expansive dual I/O coastlines, coupled with a variety of expansion modules for wide variety of application specific I/O configurations and a flexible EMIO bus supporting a wide range of modern and legacy bus technologies. Systems build using the VIA AMOS-5000 are shock resistant and can withstand a wide range of temperatures.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms,　today introduced its new VIA Nano 3000 Series processors, bringing enhanced digital media performance and lower power consumption to Windows 7 thin and light notebook and all-in-one desktop PC markets.

Based on the 64-bit superscalar 'Isaiah' architecture, VIA Nano 3000 Series processors deliver the most compelling thin and light notebook computing experience with their rich HD entertainment capabilities, including support for flawless playback of high bit-rate 1080p HD video, as well as low power consumption resulting in longer battery life.

AMD released its fourth beta of the ATI Stream SDK version 2.0, that provides the first complete OpenCL development platform. The release is certified to be fully compliant with OpenCL 1.0 by, the Khronos Group. A wide range of AMD GPUs as well as any x86 multi-core CPU supporting SSE3 instruction set are supported. For more information on this release, and to download, visit this page.

An interesting discovery by TechConnect Magazine shows that in these OpenCL drivers, are identifiers for a yet to be announced "Radeon HD 5900 Series", with the device IDs 689C and 689D, both marked under "Evergreen", like other members of the Evergreen family, such as Radeon HD 5700 and Radeon HD 5800 series. The most plausible explanation for "Radeon HD 5900 Series" could be that it is the name of the graphics cards based on the Hemlock GPU architecture, which pairs two Cypress GPUs onto one board. The driver also gives away device IDs, if not product names of GPUs based on the upcoming entry-level Redwood and Cedar GPUs.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms,　today announced the VIA EPIA-P720 Pico-ITX board, which takes advantage of the latest VIA VX855 media system processor to deliver stunningly smooth playback of the latest HD video formats for next-generation digital interactive devices.

"VIA continually strives to offer customers compelling product designs that open up new worlds of possibility," said Daniel Wu, Vice President, VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies, Inc.　"The VIA EPIA-P720 enables a new class of extremely compact embedded devices that can comfortably handle the most demanding video playback whilst remaining entirely fanless. No other compact platform currently offers these features in tandem."

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced its latest additions to the VIA AMOS series of universal chassis products; the VIA AMOS-1000 and VIA AMOS-2000 chassis are specially designed to work with VIA EPIA Mini-ITX and Nano-ITX boards and feature unique multi-story stackability.

VIA developed the VIA AMOS-1000 and VIA AMOS-2000 chassis to make complete system design as straightforward and expedient as possible. The guiding principle behind the VIA AMOS-1000 and VIA AMOS-2000 is the ability to add additional layers to the chassis, facilitating simple system expansion for optical drives, system storage and PCI or PCI Express AIBs.

AMD today announced immediate availability of two new dual-core, 18W TDP processors for the highly-scalable ASB1 BGA embedded client platform. The AMD Turion Neo X2 processor Model L625 and the AMD Athlon Neo X2 processor Model L325 deliver PC-caliber performance in a very low power envelope and with an embedded-friendly ball grid array (BGA) package.

This embedded client solution is ideal for traditional embedded applications such as single board computing and thin client systems, as well as markets for self-service kiosks, point of sale machines and digital signage. The ball grid array (BGA) package helps alleviate potential reliability issues for systems that are deployed in rugged environments and has a low z-height that is designed to enable thin, compact enclosures.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA EPIA N700-10EW Nano-ITX board, designed for industrial and embedded applications in environments with extreme temperatures. Guaranteed to maintain absolute stability at temperatures ranging from -20 degrees C to 70 degrees C, the fanless VIA EPIA N700-10EW can be employed in environments that traditionally inhibit x86 computing. These include specialized industrial applications where machinery can create intense operating temperatures, as well as extreme climate scenarios like desert, mountain and high altitude environments.

"By expanding our range of EPIA products to include extended temperature products, VIA is addressing the broader needs of our extensive customer base," said Daniel Wu, Vice President of VIA Embedded, VIA Technologies, Inc. "Extreme thermal competency usually comes at a premium, the VIA EPIA N700-10EW will help to significantly lower that barrier."

AMD recently announced its 40th Anniversary celebrations. Coincidence has it that the company reached another milestone at around the same time. It celebrates shipping its 500 millionth x86 processor, what the company specializes in. As the company, like most other companies is facing turbulent economic weather, the celebrations are largely low-profile. To reward its loyal customers, the company announced a contest that involves following AMD on Twitter, answering the question(s), and standing a chance to win one of four HP Pavilion dV2z ultrathin notebooks powered by AMD's Athlon Neo processors. Details of the contest can be read here.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the adoption of its VIA Eden processor in the latest FUTRO thin client series from Fujitsu. The 500MHz VIA Eden ULV processor, with its remarkably low TDP of only one watt, powers the Fujitsu FUTRO S100, an entirely fanless and silent thin client and virtual workplace solution.

With a dramatically lower TCO, a reduced environmental footprint and a radically improved security infrastructure, it's no surprise to see thin client adoption continue to expand, particularly in enterprise and commercial corporate segments. Fujitsu's new range of FUTRO thin client products bring these benefits into sharper focus, with the FUTRO S100 thin client consuming less than eleven watts for the complete system under full load.

Over a month into the release of its flagship enterprise processor, the six-core Opteron codenamed "Istanbul", the company expressed plans to roll out another line of Opteron chips, this time targeting the cost-effective SME market, and not exactly power scaling and parallelism offered by its two-socket and multi-socket capable Opteron 2000 and Opteron 8000 series. The new quad-core processor will be codenamed "Suzuka", and will be made for single-socket systems. For this reason, it will not use the 1207-pin Socket F, but rather the AM3 socket, and will be compatible with existing AM2(+) motherboards that support the Budapest quad-core chip (single socket version of Barcelona).

Suzuka shares the same die design as Shanghai (Opteron) and Deneb (Phenom II). It features four x86-64 processing cores on a monolithic die, with 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 6 MB L3 cache. Dual DDR2/DDR3 memory controllers work in ganged or unganged dual-channel modes. Currently three models are ready, the 2.50 GHz Opteron 1381, 2.70 GHz Opteron 1385, and 2.90 GHz 1389. These chips are specified to come with system bus speeds of 2200 MT/s (HyperTransport bus actual speed of 1100 MHz). All three models come with a rated TDP of around 115 W, and is built on the 45 nm SOI process. Opteron 1381 is priced at US $189, Opteron 1385 at $229, and Opteron 1389 at $269.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the adoption of the VIA Nano processor platform by Tongfong, one of China's leading notebook providers, for their new Tongfong S30A 13.3" thin and light notebook.

The Tongfong S30A includes the high performance yet power efficient 64-bit 1.3GHz+ VIA Nano U2250 processor coupled with the unified VIA VX800 MSP and discrete S3 Graphics Chrome 435 ULP graphics for an HD video proficient, DirectX 10.1 certified notebook. HD audio and an HDMI port ensure that Tongfong customers will be able to enjoy rich media content in its finest form.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today unveiled the next generation of VIA Vinyl HD Audio codecs, the VIA Vinyl VT1818S and 1828S, with support offered by CyberLink in their latest award-winning DVD player software, CyberLink PowerDVD.

The leading Blu-ray Disc and DVD playback software, CyberLink PowerDVD provides enhanced high-definition audio through the embedded VIA Vinyl HD VIA Vinyl 1828S Audio codecs, which also support Blu-ray Disc audio content protection, allowing for optimal audio output. Without content protection support, audio quality is dramatically reduced to that of a regular CD with a sampling rate of only 16-bit/48kHz.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced that the VIA Nano processor and VIA VX855 digital media IGP chipset received the 'Best of Computex' award from the Taiwan Computer Association (TCA) and the Taiwan Trade Council (TAITRA) during a ceremony today.

Nominated in the LSI/VLSI Category for Mobile Platforms, the VIA entry was honored for its power efficiency, miniaturization and optimized performance, enabling system builders to design ever smaller, lighter, and more portable systems. And with increasing consumer focus on multimedia capabilities, also praised was the platform's ability to offer true 1080p HD video playback through support for full hardware acceleration of the widest variety of leading video standards including H.264, MPEG-2/4, VC-1 and WMV9.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced that it will be showing examples of its customized security solution service at Computex 2009, helping customers to employ a comprehensive and effective security infrastructure in all segments.

VIA Nano, VIA C7 and VIA Eden processor platforms are the only processors that currently offer a built-in Advanced Cryptographic Engine. In order to better help customers access this unique feature, VIA is now offering a comprehensive security solution service that can accurately meet the security needs of individual customers across a range of embedded segments.

Having successfully established the Nehalem architecture-derived Core i7 series as the industry's fastest consumer processors available, and recently propagating the architecture to two-socket Xeon series for servers and high-end workstations, Intel is set to push up parallelism two-fold with the Nehalem-EX 8-core enterprise processor. The company will detail this new line of chips next week, although a commercial-launch can be expected only in late 2009 or early 2010.

The new chip will succeed the company's own Xeon E7000 "Dunnington" series 6-core processors, for having the highest available parallelism per socket. The 8 physical x86-64 processing cores will further feature HyperThreading technology, sending the logical-processor count to 16 threads per socket. Each processor packs 2.3 billion transistors. The processor will further be designed for systems with more than two sockets per board. Currently although server-builders sell 1U and 2U servers with more than two Nehalem quad-core processors, the system is designed by using two (or more) two-socket mainboards interconnected using Infiniband. The announcement will be made on May 26, in an address headed by Boyd Davis, Intel's general manager of Server Platforms Marketing Group.

Last week, Intel announced its Visual Computing Research Center at Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany. During its opening ceremony, details emerged about when Intel plans to commercially introduce Larrabee, the company's take on graphics processing using x86-based parallelism. The company categorically stated that one could expect Larrabee to be out only by early 2010.

"I would expect volume introduction of this product to be early next year," said Intel chief executive Paul Otellini. Until now, Larrabee was known to be introduced coarsely around the 2009-2010 time-frame. "We always said it would launch in the 2009/2010 timeframe," said Intel spokesperson Nick Knupffer in an email to PC Magazine. "We are narrowing that timeframe. Larrabee is healthy and in our labs right now. There will be multiple versions of Larrabee over time. We are not releasing additional details at this time," he added. In the same event, Intel displayed a company slide with a die-shot of Larrabee, revealing what looked like the x86 processing elements. Sections of the media were abuzz with inferences drawn on the die-shot, some saying that it featured as many as 32 processing elements.

The European Commission today found Intel guilty of abusing its dominant position in the global x86 microprocessor market, saying that "Intel has harmed millions of European consumers by deliberately acting to keep competitors out of the market for computer chips for many years. Such a serious and sustained violation of the EU's antitrust rules cannot be tolerated." The Commission also stated that "there is evidence that Intel had sought to conceal the conditions associated with its payments." The EC decision requires Intel to change its business practices immediately and fines Intel a record EUR 1.06 billion (US $1.45 billion).

"Today's ruling is an important step toward establishing a truly competitive market," said Dirk Meyer, AMD president and CEO. "AMD has consistently been a technology innovation leader and we are looking forward to the move from a world in which Intel ruled, to one which is ruled by customers."

Intel chose the occasion of the opening ceremony for the Intel Visual Computing Institute at the Saarland University in Germany, to conduct a brief presentation about the visual computing technologies the company is currently working on. The focal point was Larrabee, the codename for Intel's upcoming "many-cores" processor that will play a significant role in Intel's visual computing foray way beyond integrated graphics. The die-shot reveals in intricate network of what look like the much talked-about x86 processing elements that bring about computing parallelism in Larrabee. Another slide briefly describes where Intel sees performance demands heading, saying that its growth is near-exponential with growth in common dataset sizes.