At the Embedded World show, AMD rolled out its newest G-Series offerings, while Via demonstrated its upcoming Eden X2 dual-core processors.
Chip makers
Advanced Micro Devices and Via Technologies are looking to drive their
x86-based processors deeper into the embedded market.
At the
Embedded World 2011 shows in Nuremberg, Germany, both vendors unveiled their
latest offerings designed to increase performance and reliability while driving
down costs. AMD announced its latest G-Series embedded APUs (accelerated
processing units), which are based on the company's "Bobcat" core.
For its part,
Via demonstrated its Eden X2 chip, which company officials said is the lowest-power
dual-core processor in the embedded space.
AMD rolled out
the first of its
G-Series embedded APUs in January, with officials
saying at the time that the new offerings will give the company a greater
opportunity to expand its presence in the highly competitive space. AMD, which
entered the embedded market in 2003 with its Geode chip line, not only is
competing with Intel and Via, but also with ARM
Holdings and MIPS. AMD officials in January estimated that x86 processors hold
about a third of what they said is a $10 billion market.
Growth in such
sectors as thin clients, digital signage, point-of-sale and kiosks,
automobiles, medical imaging, telecommunications and networking is driving up
the demand for embedded technologies, they said.
With the three
new chips unveiled March 1 during the Embedded World show, AMD officials are
targeting "headless" systems, which do not use a screen, monitor or input
device. In addition, they don't need a graphics solution. The G-Series is part
of AMD's Fusion initiative, which puts the CPU and discrete-level graphics on
the same piece of silicon. However, there is a core market in the embedded
space that may not need the graphics capabilities, but still could take
advantage of a Bobcat-based CPU, according to Buddy Broeker, director of
embedded solutions at AMD.
"It's
critical that we support our embedded customers not only with a wide selection
of the best-possible x86 platform solutions, but with the entire ecosystem they
need to design and develop highly differentiated embedded systems," Broeker
said in a statement, noting other offerings rolled out at Embedded World beyond
the chips, including an RDK (reference design kit) for storage systems and new
sales and marketing offerings.
Broeker touted
the new offerings in a
March 1 blog post.
The new
G-Series chips released at the show are available with 5W and 18W power bands,
64-bit capability and multi-core options, according to AMD.
Via's new Eden
X2 chips leverage the product line's fanless design principles and a
power-efficient dual-core design and a longevity guarantee of seven years,
according to company officials.
The chips,
built on Via's 4-nanometer manufacturing process, include two 64-bit superscaler
Eden cores, the Via VT virtualization solution that enables legacy software to
be used in virtualized environments with no impact to performance, and the
company's AES Security Engine for dynamic hardware-based encryption.
"Embedded
developers will relish the opportunity to integrate a native 64-bit, dual-core
processor in passively cooled, ultra-stable systems," Daniel Wu, vice president
of Via's Embedded Platform Division, said in a statement.
Via customers
are sampling the Eden X2 processors now, and systems and boards with the
processors will be available in the second quarter, the company said.
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