AMD offers first embedded GPU with support for OpenCL, six displays

At the Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley 2011, AMD introduced the AMD Radeon E6760 embedded discrete graphics processor. The E6760 GPU is the first of its kind: it offers embedded system designers OpenCL support as well as support for six independent displays.

It is the first of many to come. AMD lists the following desktop-level 3D graphics and multimedia features for the E6760 GPU:

• An advanced 3D graphics engine and programmable shader architecture supports Microsoft DirectX 11 technology for superior graphics rendering.
• With an integrated frame buffer, high reliability, and small footprint thermal solution, the AMD Radeon E6760 GPU enables designers of casino gaming, arcade, and medical imaging systems to quickly deliver products with a compelling competitive edge.
• Support for OpenCL provides an industry standard interface to access the exceptional compute performance per Watt for general purpose graphics processing unit (GPGPU) applications such as ultrasound, radar, and video surveillance.
• Featuring multi-display support with AMD Eyefinity technology, the AMD Radeon E6760 GPU supports up to six independent output displays, HDMI 1.4 stereoscopic video, and DisplayPort 1.2 for higher link speeds and simplified display connectivity.
• The AMD Radeon E6760 GPU comes with five years of planned supply availability. Technical support is provided by a dedicated team of application engineering experts.

The AMD Radeon E6760 GPU can be paired with AMD's upcoming high-performance A-Series Accelerated Processing Units (APU), codenamed Llano, to offer additional graphics capability and parallel computing power. That's important given that a recent report suggested Llano would account for 40 percent of AMD's shipments in Q3 2011, or about 3 million units sent to retailers and OEM partners.

AMD actually started shipping the 32nm A-Series APUs to OEM partners just last month. Unlike the C-Series (codenamed Ontario) and E-Series (codenamed Zacate), APUs that have already been around as part of the new Fusion lineup for a while, the A-Series is targeted at mainstream laptops and desktops, and is the first from AMD made using a 32-nanometer manufacturing process.

It's also worth noting that AMD has argued A-Series APUs are superior at multitasking than Sandy Bridge. That may be, but Intel is already working hard on Ivy Bridge, which is rumored to offer a 20 percent boost over its predecessor. APUs are AMD's biggest bet for finally taking on Intel again, and for the sake of competition, we hope they manage to pull it off, though it's definitely going to be tough.

"The AMD Radeon E6760 GPU provides customers with superior business economics through long lifecycle management and product stability," Richard Jaenicke, director of Embedded Client Business for AMD, said in a statement. "Embedded system designers faced with power and density constraints now have a solution that delivers the advanced 3D graphics and multimedia features they require in this performance-driven market."