AMD reveals handheld hand

AMD today launched a new chip, the first fruits of its recent takeover of Alchemy Semiconductor, and its first foray into the low-power PDA and information appliance CPU market.

This is the Alchemy AU 1100: it runs on a MIPS32 instruction set at speeds of up to 500MHz. At 333MHz, it consumes "less than 200 mW"; the 400MHz version chews through 250 mW; while the 500MHz uses 500 mW. Energy consumption figures are quoted for production versions, which kinda implies that pre-production samples currently available run a bit hotter.

The Au1100 400MHz will set you back $29.50 - but you have to buy 10,000 of the little beasts.

This new chip consumes around half the power of its immediate predecessor, the AU1000, largely through the introduction of an integrated LCD controller. The AU1100 also adds two Secure Digital (SD) controllers for small storage devices, integrated Ethernet, Ac97 for sound, USB support and IRDA wireless connectivity.

The full specs are here. And AMD's press release is here. ®