AMD laid out its product roadmap plans at the Financial Analyst Day. As part of it, AMD has announced seven new processors and five new platforms right from high-end PC segment to ultra portable netbooks.
AMD's new manufacturing spin-off temporarily known as 'The Foundary Company' is expected to start manufacturing operations in early 2010. AMD expects to finish testing 32nm process chips by the end of the year 2009. While on the other hand Intel has already promised introducing 32nm process made Westmere, Nehalem s successor.
Be ready for some platform and processor 'code-name' confusions.
Notebook/Mobile platform
AMD has announced Yukon platform answer to Intel Atom low-processor alternative for netbooks. Yukon will be out next year in first quarter along with "slim" processor code-named Bobcat with a chipset having power consumption of less than 25 watts meant for low-powered mobile devices.
Brazos platform, low-cost and low-power platform for mobile computers, will used DDR3 memory and have dual core chip Ontario, a refreshed Bobcat version, with 1MB cache, on-die GPU and DDR3 memory controller by 2011. Also in 2011, a desktop and notebook platform code-named Sabine which will be built on an APU code-named Llano with four cores, 4MB cache, DDR3 memory controllers and GPU packed on-die. AMD terms Accelerated Processing Unit as combination of CPU with GPU on same silicon wafer, basically a System-on-Chip. AMD bets Sabine bring 'significant' battery-life improvements to notebooks.
In 2011, AMD will bring products based on new architecture currently named as Bulldozer and will have 32nm process built chip codenamed Ontario, Llano and Orochi. Out of the three, Orochi will be high-end enthusiast desktop chip featuring quad cores with 8MB cache and integrated DDR3 memory controller.
The mainstream notebook market will get a new platform code named Tigris, successor to Puma and will accommodate 45nm process mobile CPU with 780M chipset, in second half of 2009. Tigris will have 45nm process built single and dual core processors code-named Caspian with 2MB cache. Also RS880M and SB710 chipsets will be released. The Tigris processors with new chipsets are expected to enhance high-def video playback, better performance and longer battery life for the notebooks.
In 2010, AMD will release Tigris successor platform code-named Danube which will feature Champlain, code-name for AMD s first quad-core mobile processor.
Desktops
In first half of 2009, AMD will bring a new platform code-named Dragon for high-end desktop market and will feature 42nm process Phenom II X4 quad-core processor code-named as Deneb with 8MB of L3 cache and the Propos version will have 2MB of L3 cache. Dragon will also include ATI Radeon HD 4800 series GPU and 790 series chipset.
In the second half of 2009, 45nm process built Kodiak processors will be included for the business class desktops. Also for the mainstream desktops, a new platform code-named Pisces will be introduced. Pisces will feature 45nm process Phenom II triple and quad-core processors that will used DDR3 memory and upcoming RS880 chipset.
In the later half of 2009, a home-theater platform code-named Maui which will make AMD's hardware work with AMD's Live Media Center software used over Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate based computers. This entertainment platform will also include options for AVR class 7.1, 5.1 and 3.1 audio as well as HDTV tuning.
In mid 2009, AMD will introduce new server platform named Fiorano which will feature support for 45nm process built Shanghai and its successor code-named Istanbul, a six-core processor scheduled to ship in second half of 2009. Also SR5690 chipset is expected along with Fiorano.
A next-generation platform code-named Maranello will be introduced with a new socket and will support DDR3 instead of DDR2. Maranello will bring AMD's first ever 12-core processor code-named Magny-Cours and six core processor code-named Sao Paolo in 2010.
