AMD has broken free from Windows
exclusivity and adopted Google Android and Chrome OS.
After years of Windows operating system
exclusivity, AMD will design processors that run Google’s Android and Chrome OS
in PCs and tablets.
AMD is expanding OS options as it designs
chips based on x86 and ARM architecture, which run multiple OSes, said Lisa Su,
senior vice president and general manager of global business units at AMD.
AMD is also expanding its custom-chip
business, and Android and Chrome OS offer flexibility for third-party chip
design and integration, Su said.
“We are very committed to Windows 8, we
think it’s a great operating system - but we also see a market developing for
Android and Chrome,” Su said.
AMD previously said it had no interest in
Android and that its chips would be exclusively tuned for Microsoft’s Windows
8. But now the company will adapt its chips for companies that want to build
laptops or tablets with Android or Chrome.
“I think Android and Chrome tend to be in
the entry-form-factors - the tablets, the low-end clamshells,” Su said.
AMD
to make chips for Android and Chrome powered devices
Su did not comment on when AMD-based
Android tablets would reach the market. But the company is working with
developers on Android applications for AMD chips.
Independent efforts are already under way
to bring Android support to AMD- based tablets and PCs. AMD also offers the
BlueStacks emulator to run Android apps on Windows PCs. ARM, Intel and MIPS
chips are already compatible with Android, although most native Android code is
written for ARM.
Adoption of Windows 8 on tablets has been
weak, and Android support could open up a larger market for AMD. Its Z-01 and
Z-60 tablet chips were used in just a handful of Windows tablets, none of which
sold well.
Temash
AMD hopes to get a fresh start in tablets
with the latest chips in the product line codenamed Temash, the A4 and A6. The
chips offers power consumption as low as 3.9W and battery life up to 8 hours.
AMD
Temash
Devices with Temash are expected in the
second half of the year, and a prototype tablet from Quanta was shown by AMD at
the recent Computex tradeshow.
The Temash chips are 64bit and have been
designed with Windows 8. In contrast to Intel’s forthcoming Bay Trail tablet
chips, which have a stronger focus on battery life, the chips are designed to
provide PC-like performance on tablets. Temash includes support for DirectX 11,
which improves gaming on Windows.
Bay Trail chips will go into Windows 8.1
and Android tablets starting at $199.
