ATI commits to desktop, mobile Athlon 64 chipsets
PrintWaiting for PCI Express?
Posted in Channel, 28th November 2003 09:59 GMT
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ATI President and COO Dave Orton has said the company is "committed" to offering a version of its chipset technology for the Athlon 64 processor - just don't expect it any time soon.
Interviewed by Firing Squad, Orton said: "We are committed to developing K8 core-logic, though it probably won't be in the next six months." Orton also confirmed that ATI will be "working on both desktop and notebook chipsets".
Orton promised to offer PCI Express versions of the company's Pentium 4 chipsets. PCI Express isn't expected to come to market before Q2 2004, which is interestingly coincident with the rough Athlon 64 chipsets Orton offers. That suggests ATI may be waiting for PCI Express before moving into the Athlon 64 chipset market.
"Even though K8 features an integrated memory controller, the architecture creates a different set of opportunities to differentiate," said Orton, which points to a focus on graphics, the graphics bus and the South Bridge.
Speaking of South Bridge parts, Orton confessed that problems getting the Radeon IGP 9100 out on time lay with that part of the chipset: "RS300 is highly anticipated, but we've encountered some delays getting our USB 2.0 qualification, which is why the chipset is only now seeing availability."
The 9100 was launched last June with a projected summer release timeframe. ®
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