We're no strangers to AMD's embedded processors, designed for specialist applications such as casino gaming and dashboard infotainment systems. But this latest announcement of an updated G-Series processor reveals something totally unexpected. It's not just that the chip contains four Jaguar cores of PlayStation 4 fame, or that it also includes a Radeon 8000 GPU and I/O module on a single piece of silicon -- although that's all interesting enough. The key thing is actually the "X" in the lower right corner of the logo, which signifies that this is an x86 chip of the type we'd normally expect from AMD. The question is this: Why bother even mentioning the "X" when everyone knows AMD is an x86 stalwart already? Read on and we'll explain its true significance.
The answer, according to AMD's Arun Iyengar, is that AMD is paving the way for an ARM-designed CPU as part of this embedded series. Whereas the X-branded x86 chips will serve power envelopes of 9W all the way up to 25W, future A-branded versions could bring power consumption right down to less than 3W:
"Ultimately, we're going to have x86 and ARM in our product portfolio."
This is a huge deal for AMD, which has so far missed out on the whole low-power processor boom, never pushing any lower than the 4.5W Temash tablet chip (which works great, but isn't even out yet).
Although we've heard about the company's "ambidextrous" approach to using ARM-based chips in relation to data data centers and security modules, this mention of a G-Series A is the first time an ARM-Radeon combo has been suggested as a main application processor. And if we accept that AMD was never really in a strong enough position to go up against the likes of Qualcomm or Intel with its own mobile-class designs, which it sold to Qualcomm in 2008, then we reckon this move is better late than never.
In the more distant future, this could be important for consumers too. If we indulge in a bit of wanton speculation, it's possible to envisage that one day we'll be able to buy a tablet that runs Android or another ARM-optimized OS, that matches up to any Exynos- or Snapdragon-based device in terms of battery life, and that also offers AMD's particular emphasis on graphics and parallel processing. Alas, AMD isn't ready to announce any such consumer product right now -- or indeed any specific ARM-based SoC -- but that "X" in the logo is an intriguing statement of intent.
