AMD: Merger With ATI to Include CPU, GPU Merger

October 24th, 2006 at 3:00 PM - News by Brad Cook

Now that Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has completed its merger with video card maker ATI, the company said that a project codenamed "Fusion" will, by early 2009, produce chips integrating CPUs and GPUs on a single slice of silicon. IDG News noted that while some companies already place both processors on the same motherboard, combining them on one chip will lead to better power efficiency, something also important in the handheld device realm.

In addition to setting its sights on the 2007 launch of Windows Vista, the combined company plans to reach further into consumer electronics, where it hopes to snag a presence in cell phones, smartphones, and video game consoles.

Apple currently uses only Intel processors in its computers, although some models offer ATI graphics, rather than the more-prevalent NVIDIA graphics chips. The company has not said yet how the AMD/ATI merger will affect its product development cycle. It may simply use only Intel CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs in its computers.