AMD is reportedly developing a new multi-GPU solution for its upcoming Llano APUs that will utilize the chip's integrated graphics core alongside a discrete GPU. According to DonanimHaber, the feature will allow users to run the IGP in tandem with any Radeon HD 6000 series graphics card. Doing so will increase the number of monitors supported in addition to boosting performance.
A leaked slide shows that when paired with an upcoming entry-level AMD graphics card, codenamed "Turks", the Llano APU outperforms Intel's Core i3-540 with a Radeon HD 5550 by 60%. To be clear, that's AMD's figure, so it remains to be seen how much of a performance edge the new multi-GPU solution provides. Nonetheless, it's an exciting prospect for Radeon HD 6000 owners.
Llano is expected to arrive during the middle of 2011 and marks the first desktop version of AMD's new Fusion processors, which combine CPU and GPU cores in a single chip (not unlike Intel's new Sandy Bridge architecture). Llano uses a 32nm fabrication and will come in dual, triple and quad-core iterations that are supposedly aimed at same market as AMD's current Athlon II product line.