AMD Files Patent for Heterogeneous Processor System Similar to Arm big.LITTLE Technology

[Peter_Brosdahl]

Image: AMD



AMD has been on a roll with its processor technology in the last few years. It has managed to successfully dominate significant portions of the consumer and data-center markets globally. Recently, it has also gained a greater foothold in the laptop arena. So, what does the prolific chip maker have in store next? Well, it looks like it could be expanding its presence in the mobile tech arena. The folks over at DSOG discovered an interesting detail with a recent patent filing for AMD.



A heterogeneous processor system includes a first processor implementing an instruction set architecture (ISA) including a set if ISA features and configured to support a first subset of the set of ISA features. The...

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[LeRoy_Blanchard]

Mix matching chiplets?

 

[Grimlakin]

ASIC's built onto the die for specific instruction sets... makes sense.. if you know the majority if your work is going to be x instruction type by a crazy margin the gains from making special instruction sets (Chiplets) for those tasks makes more sense.

As an example if they can pull the APU out and make it a chiplet then if you need 2x the graphics performance you add an additional mobile graphics chiplet. Seems to be a good idea to me... then the difference between your standard and ultra model of a given phone can be 2x the graphics cores.

 

[Dan_D]

Another thing this would allow AMD to do is to create chiplets for specific customer needs. Intel already does special versions of its CPUs for certain customers and tasks. This would allow AMD to do the same thing, now that its starting to make inroads with bigger businesses due to poor availability on Intel's part.

 

[Grimlakin]

Another thing this would allow AMD to do is to create chiplets for specific customer needs. Intel already does special versions of its CPUs for certain customers and tasks. This would allow AMD to do the same thing, now that its starting to make inroads with bigger businesses due to poor availability on Intel's part.

That is a familiar business for AMD. They have been doing custom chips/controllers for a long time. Not sure if it's longer than they have been making CPU's but it feels like it to me. Back in the days of Citrix those custom chips were keeping AMD afloat if I remember correctly.