AMD’s acquisition of ATI has finally come full circle. It is officially time to say goodbye to the ATI brand. In an official announcement today, AMD reveals that they will ditch the ATI moniker in favor of their own. Market research indicates “permission”, as AMD puts it, to consolidate the graphics card and processor divisions under one label. When AMD surveyed computer enthusiasts, they found AMD to be a popular brand, and releasing graphics cards under the AMD brand didn’t diminish enthusiasm if consumers we aware of the merger with ATI.
The death of such a familiar brand might be upsetting for fans, but it marks a step forward for AMD as they prepare to dive head first into a new line of chips that combine AMD’s processor technology with the graphic power of their Radeon GPUs. Welcome to the world of the APU.
AMD plans to release their first APU, “Ontario” before the end of the year, and it will feature two “Bobcat” CPU cores combined with Radeon tech. A beefier APU, “Llano”, will likely ship during the first half of 2011. It will come packed with quad Phenom II class CPU cores and upgraded graphic capabilities, according to TechReport .
In order to avoid confusion when PC makers sell machines with an Intel CPU and an AMD graphics card, AMD has two tiers of badges: one with their logo, and one without. Corporate has been tossing the “Fusion” brand around since the announcement of AMD’s APU ambitions, but it will not be used when the products are launched. This is part of a larger effort from AMD to consolidate their various product lines to raise consumer awareness and avoid spreading their identity to thin.
R.I.P., ATI.
[Source: TechReport ]
