AMD is bridging the gap between the x86and ARM chip architectures. Project Skybridge will provide plumbing for ARMand x86 cores to be combined. New chips based on the architectures will be released in 2015.
AMD is bridging the gap between the x86and ARM chip architectures. Project Skybridge will provide plumbing for ARMand x86 cores to be combined. New chips based on the architectures will be released in 2015.
AMD is bridging the gap between the x86and ARM chip architectures. Project Skybridge will provide plumbing for ARMand x86 cores to be combined. New chips based on the architectures will be released in 2015.
NEWS Keep up to date with PC Advisor news: pcadvisor.co.uk/news twitter.com/pcadvisor facebook.com/pcadvisor mobile.pcadvisor.co.uk pinterest.com/pcadvisor plus.google.com/+PCAdvisor youtube.com/pcadvisor AMD is bridging the gap between the x86- and ARM chip architectures and is also bringing Android support to its chips next year through a new development effort called Project Skybridge. Project Skybridge will provide the plumbing for ARM- and x86 cores to be combined on hardware, and new chips based on the architectures will be released in 2015. The x86 and ARM chips will be pin- compatible, making it possible to congure both chips on a single motherboard. Different motherboards are currently required for x86 and ARM chips, and its expensive for developers and users alike to support disparate architectures, said Lisa Su, general manager of AMDs global business units. This is the beginning of the family of products that will offer customers capability and exibility, Su said. Its going to be ARM and x86. These are the two most important architectures. AMD showed a Project Skybridge chart where a combined x86-ARM system could support Windows, Linux and Android. Su said Skybridge products are targeted at embedded- and client devices, which could include tablets. Tablets with AMD chips are currently available with Windows 8.1, but it is possible to run Android applications through a Bluestacks virtual layer. The ARM-based chip will be based on the Cortex-A57 processor design, which is 64-bit and will be AMDs rst chip to support Android, Su said. The x86 chip will be based on the Puma+ core, which is being used in the recently launched Mullins tablet- and Beema laptop chips. With pin compatibility, Skybridge parts could be soldered down on a motherboard. AMD has so far shied away from supporting Android. The company has said it will not bring Android to x86 chips as the OS runs best on ARM processors. The ARM and x86 chips will be made using the 20nm process, and could be combined with AMDs latest GPUs. Device makers will be able to combine any number of x86 and ARM cores in products. Skybridge will drive down hardware costs, allowing x86- and ARM chips on a single motherboard
This is the beginning of the family of products that will
offer customers capability and flexibility CHRIS MARTIN AMD SKYBRIDGE UNITES x86 & ARM, BRINGS ANDROID SUPPORT But AMD wont go into low-cost phones, Su said, adding that it isnt in our DNA. Project Skybridge is an example of AMDs implementation of a chip-design methodology established in 2012, in which multiple intellectual property blocks can be patched together on a computing system. To expand beyond x86, AMD licensed ARM architecture, which is dominant in mobile devices and is gaining steam in servers. AMDs rst use of the ARM architecture was for a Cortex-A5 core that provided security for PC chips. Chips resulting from Project Skybridge could nd a use in servers such as HPs AMDs Su said Skybridge could be used in networking hardware, which use disparate architectures for tasks. For example, AMDs Project Skybridge could provide one product that could use x86 for the high-end control plane and ARM for low-end processing. Such an implementation could reduce hardware- and software costs, Su said. Its way too expensive to support disparate architectures in an ecosystem, Su said. Its really about simplifying that use case... for a given software ecosystem. Project Moonshot, a dense server that aims to combine x86- and ARM processors in a single chassis. The Facebook-backed Open Computer Project has provided specications for a slot that is compatible with both AMD and x86 processors. However, AMD ofcials did not say whether the Project Skybridge methodology would be applied to server hardware. AMD is ghting for its survival in servers, and is relying on ARM for a renewed push that the company hopes will help it regain market share. 008_011 News 229.indd 8 03/06/2014 17:49