AMD Open Sources Performance Library
Frameware currently consists of 3,200 high performance software routines that allow developers to create multi-threaded applications for x86-class processor platforms. AMD claims the Frameware project, which was under development by more than 12 developers for nearly three years, will allow developers to write applications that embrace and better utilize multi-threaded chips.
By opening up its library, which contains thousands of routines for audio and visual processing, AMD believes Framewave will better facilitate development of media applications like codecs, image editors, media players and audio applications.
"We believe that Framewave will quickly become a significant resource for developers, helping them to build faster, highly optimized and multi-threaded applications more efficiently," AMD's vice president of software development Earl Stahl, said in a release. "Developer collaboration is one of the cornerstones of AMD's software vision, so we are excited to see what innovations the community will develop leveraging Framewave."
AMD is not the first chipmaker to open source its technology in the hopes of spurring innovation and participation from the developer community. AMD archrival Intel open sourced its Threading Building Blocks (TBB) technology in July 2007.