Market sources recently revealed that Advanced Micro Devices readies low-power, low-cost central processing unit (CPU) to compete against Intel Atom processor on the market of ultra low-cost personal computers (ULCPC). Apparently, certain partners of AMD are already testing such a processor.
Based on “spy-shot” pictures of a 3.5” mainboard sent to , initially AMD’s 8W chips based on K8 micro-architecture in ball-grid array (BGA) packaging will be available for small form-factor industrial PCs, where Intel Pentium M and Intel Atom chips are already present alongside with relatively outdated AMD Geode microprocessors.

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The K8 BGA microprocessors from AMD will have thermal design power of 8W, whereas the AMD M690E + SB600 chipset will have thermal design power of 8W + 2W~3W. Therefore, the whole system will have thermal design power of just about 20W, which is quite similar to a combination of Intel Atom N-series processor (2.5 – 4W TDP) and Intel 945GC chipset (15.2W – 22.2W).

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According to media reports, the new AMD processor for ULCPCs will sport 64-bit K8 micro-architecture-based processing core, 64KB L1 instruction cache, 64KB L1 data cache, 256KB L2 cache as well as single-channel DDR2 memory controller. The central processing unit is projected to operate at 1.0GHz. AMD plans to ship the product in ball grid array packaging, which is ideal for low-cost, low-power and small form-factor systems. The chip is made using 65nm process technology.

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Images of the 3.5” mainboard for industrial computing with “engineering sample” processor along with AMD M690E core-logic that is compatible with various latest AMD chips that use HyperTransport bus as well as ICS951464 main clock synthesizer chip for K8/AMD 690-based systems proof that there is a K8 processor in BGA packaging on the pipeline and that the only question is when it becomes available.
Advanced Micro Devices did not comment on the news-story.
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