AMD's Hondo APUs ready for Windows 8 Q4 launch - report

Chip giant AMD is set to debut its 32nm Trinity APUs in notebooks later this month, while the firm’s tablet-friendly Hondo chips will hit the streets in the fourth quarter to coincide with the much-anticipated launch of Windows 8, Digitimes has learnt.

Citing “sources from notebook players”, the Taiwan-based tech title said that AMD would delay a version of the A-Series Trinity APUs for desktops until August, with prices expected to come in under those of Intel’s Ivy Bridge processors.

Among the desktop models will be the A10-5800K, A10-5700, A8-5600K and A8-5500 models, all made by former foundry GlobalFoundries. AMD was forced to write off $703m (£436m) in the first quarter of 2012, taking it into the red after it renegotiated its wafer-supply agreement with the firm.

Trinity will be based on the Piledriver architecture, boosting overall performance by 25 per cent and graphics performance by an impressive 50 per cent over AMD’s current Llano chips, the sources blabbed to Digitimes.

More interesting for many will be AMD’s play in the burgeoning tablet market, with the firm’s ultra low power (ULP) 40nm Hondo APUs slated for launch in Q4.

The firm has high hopes for the tablet and ‘ultrathin’ market and it will be interesting to see whether its 4.5-watt Hondos can rise to the twin challenge of unsettling undisputed mobile chip champ ARM and edging out arch-rival Intel.

Rounding out the roadmap info splurge from Taiwan is news that AMD will release its low-power Brazos 2.0 APUs including the 18W E2-1800 and E1-1200 in June and new FX series processors including the FX-8350, FX-6300 and FX-4320 in Q3.

AMD could not immediately be reached to confirm the details. ®