AMD planning netbook-class chip for 2011
updated 04:55 pm EST, Thu March 11, 2010
AMD to bring out Atom-fighting CPU for netbooks
Chipmaker AMD will soon release a Fusion-branded CPU for netbooks meant to compete with Intel's Atom range of CPUs. The Fusion name stems from the integrated graphics processors from ATI, which AMD acquired in 2006. While specs for the chip haven't yet been finalized, it will consume between 10 and 15 watts of power, while its graphics performance will be good enough not to require a separate NVIDIA Ion GPU, according to AMD chief marketing officer Nigel Dessau.
The chip may be from the so-called Bobcat range that was revealed in a roadmap leaked in November and go into devices that are 12 inches and smaller. While AMD has the low-power Athlon Neo that is used in small notebooks, it more closely competes with Intel's CULV range of processors rather than the Atoms.
A timeline for the release of the chip or OEM pricing, nor whose netbooks it will appear in, hasn't been revealed but isn't expected until 2011. [via HardwareCentral]
