AMD Carrizo next-generation APU details leak

July 29, 2013 | 09:25

Tags: #a88x #amd-kaveri #amd-radeon #apu #carrizo #cpu #fm2 #kaveri #microprocessor #radeon

Companies: #amd

Details of the successor to AMD's next-generation Kaveri accelerated processing unit (APU) products has been leaked, pointing to the codename Carrizo and backwards-compatibility with the FM2+ socket format.

Currently, AMD isn't even publicly discussing Kaveri, much less it's potential successors, but numerous information has leaked from sources outside the company ranging from the concrete in Asus announcing its first FM2+ motherboards to the nebulous with claims that Kaveri itself has slipped to a 2014 launch schedule.

AMD may not be talking, but that isn't stopping the usual raft of anonymous industry sources from waxing lyrical about the chipmaker's potential future plans. According to details leaked to VR-Zone China, Kaveri's successor is codenamed Carrizo and will be backwards-compatible with Kaveri's FM2+ socket and A88X chipset.

Further claims made by the site include support for DDR4 - already rumoured for Kaveri, although likely to come in the form of soldered-down BGA chips for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) rather than retail-ready user-swappable memory modules - and thermal design profiles (TDPs) ranging up to 65W. The latter is of particular note: AMD's current crop of APUs hit 100W at stock settings, yet Carrizo is expected to offer significantly improved performance - suggesting AMD is expecting significant gains to come from efficiency improvements and a reduction in process node size.

For those considering an APU-flavour upgrade in the near future, there's still better news: the site's source suggests that Carrizo will be fully compatible with the motherboards launched for Kaveri, slotting straight into the FM2+ socket and running happily on the A88X chipset - and, the source further claims, the existing A78 as well. All Carrizo models will also adhere to the Heterogeneous Systems Architecture (HSA) standard, blurring the line between resources designed for CPU or GPU use.

The first Carrizo APUs are expected to roll off the production line in August of next year, with mass production beginning in December for a 1H 2015 launch. In addition to the Carrizo desktop chips, the company is also tipped to launch a system-on-chip model dubbed Beema for low-end mobile devices and a BGA range dubbed Nolan for higher-end devices. All models will include next-generation Radeon graphics, the site claims, although final core count, clocks and memory specifications have yet to be detailed.

AMD, as is expected, has refused to confirm or deny the claims, stating that it does not comment on speculation regarding unannounced products.
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