Acer Labs backs AMD HyperTransport

Acer Labs has given AMD's HyperTransport the thumbs-up and will support the point-to-point bus technology in future south-bridge chips.

It isn't saying which chips will contain HT, of course, but that didn't stop both AMD and the quasi-autonomous HyperTransport Consortium from praising Acer Labs' decision.

The chipset maker's move sets it up against Intel, which is backing its own third-generation I/O technology, now codenamed Arapahoe. But as the proud possessor of a Pentium 4 bus licence, we will potentially see an Intel product combined with HT.

And since AMD was one of the members of the PCI SIG who voted to accept Arapahoe as the heir apparent to PCI and, presumably, PCI-X, Acer will be able to contribute to what looks like a movement to bring the two would-be standards together.

Or at least make them appear less like dire rivals. Certainly AMD is keen to stress that HT works alongside PCI - and therefore, by extension, Arapahoe - rather than against it. Right now it can't aford to scare potential supporters who fear a return to the MCA vs EISA battle away. ®