Taking advantage of Intel's lackadaisical effort to support USB 3.0, AMD may include the specification in an upcoming chipset according to DigiTimes. The site reports that AMD is currently discussing licensing terms with Renesas Electronics, which merged with NEC, the first and largest supplier of USB 3.0 controllers.

It's said that the chipmaker might integrate USB 3.0 support in its upcoming Hudson D1 southbridge, and if true, it shouldn't be long before those plans are public. The new chipset is due later this year alongside the company's 40nm Ontario APUs, and the platform will be used in ultrathin notebooks and netbooks -- a segment where USB 3.0 is currently very scarce.


AMD already uses NEC's parts in its desktop boards, so adding laptops to that agreement shouldn't be too difficult. Since Intel isn't expected to embrace the new specification any time soon, AMD could gain more influence over system builders.