After Merging CPU And Graphics Units, AMD Applauds Windows 7
"We are excited to offer our customers an opportunity to test the release candidate of the Windows 7 operating system on AMD technology-based desktops and notebooks, and eagerly anticipate the consumer launch later this year," said David Kenyon, vice president of AMD's worldwide channel marketing, in a release.
Back in March, AMD launched its Windows 7 unified graphics driver with ATI CatalystTM 9.4 software suite. The driver, and every subsequent ATI Catalyst driver update, delivers a unified driver installation package to incorporate Windows 7 support, including Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.1 compliance, according to a blog item from Nigel Dessau, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at AMD. "Ready for Windows 7 today, feedback from developers testing applications using the Windows 7 Beta release helps ensure the ATI Catalyst unified driver continues to deliver industry-leading stability and performance," he wrote.
Yesterday's news that the company will reorganize and align the graphics and microprocessor product development groups means AMD can focus on creating CPUs with integrated GPUs, something rival Intel already has done. The reorganization lets AMD leverage its ATI expertise and potentially come up with game-changing technology.
The new products group, led by Senior Vice President Rick Bergman, will be responsible for all of AMD's platforms and products. Bergman came to AMD via the acquisition of ATI in October 2006. He joined ATI in January 2001, from S3 Graphics, a division of SonicBlue, where he served as chief operating officer. He began his career at IBM.
"The next generation of innovation in the computing industry will be grounded in the fusion of microprocessor and graphics technologies," said Dirk Meyer, AMD president and CEO, in a statement. "With these changes, we are putting the right organization in place to help enable the future of computing."
The company also announced that Senior Vice President Randy Allen was leaving AMD. That move comes almost a year to the day after Allen was promoted to head the Computing Solutions Group. Allen had been with AMD 25 years.
In addition to the products group, three other groups form the core of the reorg: The Advanced Technology Group, which will focus on developing AMD's future technology, a marketing group and a customer (sales) group.