big plans for AMD.. looks like..!
Blackberry Application Development
While time is running down on 2011 being the year of Bulldozer, AMD is looking to next year to be the year of Piledriver. A leaked roadmap shows the chip company’s desktop plans for 2012, and these include a processor that features 10 Piledriver CPUs, which will be improved versions of the forthcoming Bulldozer CPU.
The Piledriver cores will be the basis for the new Virgo and Corona platforms. Corona will be the new enthusiast platform, featuring Komodo CPUs that include up to 10 Piledriver cores, while Virgo is designed for the mid-range, including Trinity APUs with up to 4 Piledriver cores. These new processors will pack AMD’s Turbo 3.0 mode (whereas Bulldozers will run Turbo 2.0), and also require the new FM2 socket.
On the low end, the Brazos platform will be succeeded by the Deccan platform, centered around the new Wichita APUs. These will come with up to four Bobcat CPU cores, double the max Brazos offered.
When all of this will arrive is still TBD, and since we still don’t have benchmarks on the final Bulldozer products, there’s no idea how much Piledriver — a.k.a. Enhanced Bulldozer — will actually improve on its predecessor’s performance. Still, more cores always sound good, so fanboys will no doubt be anxiously awaiting a chance to build a 10-core system sometime next year.
