AMD expands low-power processor family to boost embedded computing, graphics performance

NUREMBERG, Germany, 24 Feb. 2016.AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) is introducing its 3rd Generation AMD Embedded G-Series system on chip (SoC) family and the Embedded G-Series LX SoC, designed to deliver immersive, graphically rich experiences across a broad range of platforms and x86 applications.

The new offerings expand developers’ ability to scale x86 platforms, starting with the entry-level AMD Embedded G-Series LX SoC, which is pin compatible to the previous generation G-Series SoC devices. Two new, higher-performing 3rd Generation AMD Embedded G-Series SoCs, codenamed “Prairie Falcon” and “Brown Falcon,” introduce pin compatibility for G-Series processors with higher-performance AMD Embedded R-Series SoC.

The new products expand upon the low-power capabilities of the AMD Embedded G-Series SoC platform, bringing scalable performance, power, and price across the CPU, GPU, multimedia, and I/O controller hardware, helping to lower development costs for AMD customers, officials say.

“The latest AMD Embedded G-Series SoC additions offer our customers a broad range of mainstream embedded solutions, including two that are in the same package as the higher-performance R-Series,” says Scott Aylor, corporate vice president and general manager, AMD Enterprise Solutions. “The new SoCs further our commitment to provide embedded design engineers with an evolutionary path toward the highest levels of power-efficient compute and graphics capabilities, and a strong value proposition for a broad range of embedded applications.”

The new G-Series’ balanced set of peripheral support, performance options, and overall energy efficiency are expected to make an immediate impact with AMD customers and the embedded ecosystem.

“The embedded market is an incredibly dynamic space right now, enabled by more immersive graphics and significant gains in power efficiency and performance,” says Shane Rau, IDC. “The advent of versatile system on chip solutions that are pin-compatible across a range of performance and price, coupled with comprehensive embedded software stacks, are giving product engineers a much greater range of choices in building dynamic, graphically rich next gen systems.”

The low-power AMD Embedded G-Series is designed to deliver an immersive, graphically rich experience and smooth system performance, in a compact, energy-efficient SoC with low power consumption and significant memory bandwidth for mainstream embedded applications.

The new models include “Excavator” x86 CPU cores and 3rd generation Graphics Core Next (GCN) graphics with support for OpenGL ES, OpenCL, DirectX 12, and EGL.

For greater design flexibility, the new 3rd Generation Embedded G-Series SoCs, and the AMD Embedded R-Series SoC are also all pin compatible.

3rd Generation AMD Embedded G-Series SoC Family key features and specifications:

• Up to 2 “Excavator” x86 cores
• AMD Radeon™ graphics (up to 4 GCN compute units2)
• 4K x 2K H.265 decode (10-bit compatibility on select devices) & multi-format encode & decode
• Multiple display technology - HDMITM 2.0, DP 1.2, eDP 1.4
• 6~15W Thermal Design Power (TDP)
• Up to 2 Channels DDR4/DDR3
• Integrated AMD Secure Processor
• 10-year planned longevity

The Embedded G-Series LX SoC is a new, low-power x86 SoC with advanced multimedia and display features, including the “Jaguar” CPU core with support for Error Correcting Memory (ECC) and GCN, as well as support for Direct® 11.2, OpenGL 4.3, and OpenCL 1.2. The AMD Embedded G-Series LX SoC uses the same FT3b socket as its predecessor codenamed “Steppe Eagle” and provides a higher-performance migration path for AMD Geode customers.

G-Series LX key features and specifications:

• 2 “Jaguar” x86 cores
• AMD Radeon™ Graphics Core Next (GCN) graphics
• Multi-format encode & decode
• Multiple display technology - HDMITM 2.0, DP 1.2, eDP 1.4
• 6~15W TDP
• Single-channel DDR3
• AMD Secure Processor
• Industrial temperature - extended temperature SKUs

The first 3rd Generation AMD Embedded G-Series SoCs are available immediately with additional offerings planned in the first and second quarter of this year. The first AMD Embedded G-Series LX products are expected to be available in March.

For more than 45 years, AMD has delivered high-performance computing, graphics, and visualization technologies ― the building blocks for gaming, immersive platforms, and the datacenter.