AMD outlines next-generation netbook & ultra-thin platforms

AMD yesterday held an analyst investor day and outlined its product roadmaps through to 2011 for its different product lines including desktops, notebooks and servers. It introduced two new processor cores codenamed Bulldozer and Bobcat for release in 2011.

Bulldozer is designed for desktops & servers, whilst Bobcat will mainly be aimed at ultra-thin notebooks. Interestingly, Bobcat will also see processors targeted to the netbook segment for the first time.

AMD made some bold claims about Bobcat, saying that it will provide 90 percent of today’s performance in less than half of the current silicon real estate. This means it is incredibly power efficient, requiring less than a watt of power.

Before we get to Bobcat, AMD will release the Nile platform for ultra-thins in 2010. Nile will support the dual-core Geneva CPU and will offer either DirectX 10.1 IGP or discrete graphics. AMD says that Nile will offer “seven or more hours” of battery life and include DDR3 memory.

The Brazos platform will then hit in 2011 (part of the Bobcat family of processors) targeted towards ultra-thins and netbooks. This dual-core processor will be based on the Ontario APU and include support for DX11 graphics & DDR3 memory.