News

AMD unveils new embedded system-on-chip solution

April 28, 2013

Advance Micro Devices has released its new AMD Embedded G-Series System-on-Chip platform, a single-chip solution based on the AMD next-generation "Jaguar" CPU architecture and AMD Radeon 8000 Series graphics.

The new SoC platform signifies a further strategic focus on high-growth markets outside the PC industry, the company said in a news release, with an emphasis on embedded systems. The announcement was made at this year's DESIGN West expo.

Embedded systems are increasingly driving intelligence into new areas, the release added, from smart TVs and set-top boxes to interactive digital signage and informational kiosks, and single-chip, SoC solutions are driving the changes. The G-Series SoC platform offers up to 113 percent better CPU performance than its prior generation, the company said, and 20 percent better graphics.

"We have built a treasure trove of industry-leading IP in processors, graphics and multimedia along with the infrastructure to combine these building blocks into unsurpassed embedded SoC solutions," Arun Iyengar, vice president and general manager of AMD Embedded Solutions, said in the release. "With a 33 percent smaller footprint, low power consumption and exceptional performance, the new AMD Embedded G-Series SoC sets the bar for content-rich multimedia and traditional workload processing that is ideal for a broad variety of embedded applications."

The series allows developers to leverage the same board design and software stack for a variety of applications, the company said, and the addition of new CPU architecture allows deeply embedded or "headless" systems, which are used in environments without a screen, monitor or input device and do not require a graphics solution.

"As the Internet of Things permeates every aspect of our life from work to home and everything in between, devices require high performance, I/O connectivity and energy-efficiency in smaller packages," Colin Barnden, principal analyst for Semicast Research, said in the release. "With this new AMD SoC design ... AMD ... [is] combining the power of an x86 CPU and the performance of AMD Radeon graphics with the I/O interconnect all on a single die."

According to the release, the series supports Windows Embedded 8 and Linux and is designed for myriad embedded applications, including industrial control and automation, digital signage, electronic gaming systems, SMB storage, IP-TV, medical and network appliances and set-top boxes.

The series will ship with general availability in the second quarter of 2013, with solution-providers supporting and/or announcing market-ready products powered by the platform. Prices will range from $49 to $72.

Learn more about digital signage hardware.