AMD Contracts TSMC to Build Two New APUs

Taipei, Nov. 16, 2010 (CENS)--Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) recently announced at a technology roadmap conference its contract with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to build its 40-nanometer Ontario and Zacate accelerated processing units (APUs).

Also, AMD will outsource the production of its 28nm Krishna and Wichita APUs to TSMC, with the two chips designed to replace Ontario and Zacate when they are introduced in 2012.

Ontario and Zacate, which AMD has begun shipping to contract PC makers, are designed for low-end and middle-range PCs.

Krishna and Wichita, aimed at the tablet PC market, feature 1 to 4 cores on a single die, as well as support DirectX 11 graphic format and USB 3.0 transmission interface.

Between its 40nm and 28nm chips is the 32nm Llano processor, which AMD announced will be produced at affiliate GlobalFoundry sometime next year.

In addition to processors, AMD has signed up TSMC to make its Northern Island graphics chips, Barts-coded Radeon HD 6850/6870 chips, and Cayman-coded Radeon HD 6950/6970 chips, all of which are designed on 40nm process.

Also, AMD plans to introduce its duo-core Antilles graphics chip and low-priced graphics chips, namely Turks and Caicos, in the first quarter next year and will contract TSMC to make these chips using 40nm process by the end of this year.

Industry executives pointed out that AMD has designated TSMC as its major supplier of 40nm foundry service to fill such orders, believing the AMD contracts will help TSMC achieve the high NT$109 billion (US$3.6 billion) revenue goal for this quarter.