AMD Expands Embedded Solutions Program

Advanced Micro Devices is looking to expand its reach into the embedded chip market.

The Sunnyvale, Calif., company announced Jan. 24 that it’s expanding the number of chips it will offer to designers in the high-end embedded market. The company will now include the Sempron 3500+ processor and the Turion 64 X2 dual-core TL-52 processor as part of this new offering.

AMD, which is the world’s second largest chip maker, first announced in March 2005 that it would start offering its Opteron chip for embedded markets such as storage, blade and telecommunication servers; digital imaging and media; communications and networking; and the military.

In a statement, AMD officials said that its chips’ 64-bit architecture, along with their low-power envelope and Direct Connect technology, will offer companies more options in designing products within the embedded market.

The company’s Direct Connect Architecture is meant to improve memory and bandwidth in the chip by directly connecting memory and I/O to the CPU. It also directly connects CPUs to one another.

Click here to read about AMD’s losses in the fourth quarter.

With the addition of the two other processors, AMD is looking to expand its reach in to thin-client computers and single-board computing. These two processors, the company said, will offer better thermal management for smaller form factor, better sock reliability, fewer pins and low-profile packaging, and direct access to the die from the heat sink.

“This is the first in a series of steps AMD expects to take to broaden its embedded product offerings and support throughout 2007,” said Greg White, vice president of AMD’s Embedded Product Division, in a statement.

The program also gives AMD customers a five-year processor longevity standard, which will help with processor and pricing stability. AMD chips offered under this program offer an identical road map to the company’s standard processors.

In addition to AMD, Intel offers processors for the embedded market. IBM’s dual-core PowerPC processor is also offered for the embedded market.

In addition to these processors, AMD offers its Alchemy and Geode chips for the lower end of the embedded market.

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