Your new AMD decoder key

We just finished the main presentations at our annual AMD Financial Analyst Day here in Sunnyvale, CA and as such the latest AMD 2012 public roadmaps are now available for your viewing pleasure. The roadmaps are full of new code names which I am happy to have the opportunity to decode for you.

As you digest some of the changes to the 2012 roadmap, please keep in mind that these changes have been driven by the following corporate goals:

• Get products to market faster. Reduce the churn and risk associated with bringing new platforms to market by leveraging existing infrastructures
• Build on the APU momentum. Incorporate the world’s best graphics technology into new APUs
• Ensure our capabilities are better aligned with market trends. Capitalize on the consumer demand for ultrathins with leading-edge graphics and better battery life; help customers scale out their datacenters without breaking the bank

The following is a high-level rundown of our 2012-13 client roadmaps. For a deeper dive, please see John Taylor’s blog here.

• For mainstream notebooks and desktops, “Trinity” is our second-generation APU which features the new “Piledriver” CPU core, enhanced graphics and up to 2X the performance-per-watt over current A-Series APUs. We also will feature a BGA version of “Trinity” designed for ultrathin notebooks.
• For essential notebooks and desktops we have “Brazos 2.0.” “Brazos 2.0” builds on AMD’s fastest-ever ramping notebook platform and incorporates Turbocore functionality and USB 3.0.
• Our first APU designed specifically for tablets will be “Hondo,” which is expected to be available in OEM platforms in the second half of 2012.
• Our high-end 2012 desktop CPU will be “Vishera” which features up to 8 “Piledriver” cores and replaces “Komodo” from our previously communicated 2012 public roadmap. “Vishera” will also carry over into 2013 but with some enhancements over the 2012 version.

Looking ahead to 2013 you see two new CPU cores on the client roadmap – “Steamroller” as the follow-on to “Piledriver” and “Jaguar” as the follow-on to “Bobcat.”

• The “Steamroller” CPU core will be in our third-generation APU codenamed “Kaveri.” “Kaveri” will also be our first Teraflop-class APU
• The “Jaguar” CPU core will be in our low-power and ultra-low power APUs codenamed, “Kabini” and “Temash.” “Kabini” and “Temash” are AMD’s first SOC processors.

Moving on to server where you will see four new processors for 2012 – “Abu Dhabi,” “Seoul,” “Zurich,” and “Dehli.” For an in-depth look at the 2012 server roadmap, please visit John Fruehe’s blog here.

At a high level, the key things to note for server are:

• “Zurich” and “Dehli” are for the new AMD Opteron™ 3000 Series server processors we announced back in November 2011. The AMD Opteron 3000 Series is targeted at the Web, Cloud and hosting customers who require a 1P platform that features server-class reliability combined with the cost-savings associated with a desktop-like infrastructure.
• “Seoul” replaces “Sepang” and will drop into our existing C32 socket infrastructure.
• “Abu Dhabi” replaces “Terramar” and will drop into our existing G34 socket infrastructure.

With the exception of “Zurich,” all of the new CPUs will be based on our next-generation CPU core codenamed “Piledriver.”

Last, but certainly not least, you’ll note the addition of the “Sea Islands” family to our graphics roadmap. As is typical with our graphics roadmap, we don’t disclose many details beyond the codename.  You will have to wait until 2013 to get the rest of the story on that one.

Phil Hughes is a Senior PR Manager at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites, and references to third party trademarks, are provided for convenience and illustrative purposes only. Unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such links, and no third party endorsement of AMD or any of its products is implied.

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This blog contains forward-looking statements, concerning among other things, AMD’s product roadmap, [including the features, architecture and performance of new and planned products; industry trends; financial targets for 2012 and beyond], which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are commonly identified by words such as “would,” “may,” “expects,” “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “projects,” and other terms with similar meaning. Investors are cautioned that the forward-looking statements in this blog are based on current beliefs, assumptions and expectations, speak only as of the date of these presentations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.  The material factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, without limitation, the following: the possibility that Intel Corporation’s pricing, marketing and rebating programs, product bundling, standard setting, new product introductions or other activities targeting AMD’s business will prevent attainment of AMD’s current plans; AMD will be unable to develop, launch and ramp new products and technologies in the volumes and mix required by the market; AMD’s third-party wafer foundries will be unable to manufacture its products on a timely basis with acceptable quality, at acceptable manufacturing yields and using competitive technologies; AMD’s third-party wafer foundries will be unable to transition to advanced manufacturing process technologies in a timely and effective way; AMD will be unable to maintain the level of investment in research and development that is required to remain competitive; global business and economic conditions will not continue to improve or will worsen, resulting in lower than currently expected demand in 2012 and beyond; demand for computers and consumer electronics products and, in turn, demand for AMD’s products will be lower than currently expected; customers will stop buying AMD’s products or materially reduce their demand for its products; AMD will require additional funding and may not be able to raise funds on favorable terms or at all; there will be unexpected variations in market growth and demand for AMD’s products and technologies in light of the product mix that it may have available at any particular time or a decline in demand; and AMD may be unable to obtain sufficient manufacturing capacity or components to meet demand for AMD’s products or AMD may under-utilize GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ manufacturing facilities.  Because our actual results may differ materially from our plans and expectations today, we encourage you to review in detail the risks and uncertainties in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 1, 2011.