This time AMD concentrates more on accelerated processing projects. Recently, in CeBIT 2007, AMD revealed more details about its “accelerated computing” platform, codenamed Torrenza. The main goal behind Torrenza is to create a platform where application-specific processors can interact cost effectively and offer better performance than a general purpose CPU, while remaining compatible with off the shelf platforms.

A Torrenza system will have at least two sockets, and both will accept accelerators and accelerated CPUs. One accelerated-processor project on AMD plate, slated for 2008 under the codename Fusion, and combines a dedicated GPU or GPU accelerator onto the same package or even the same silicon die as the main CPU. AMD has already set the ground-work for Fusion processing with its Stream Computing initiative utilizing ATI-based graphics adaptors for heavy number crunching.

Other Torrenza ready projects are also coming to light. Clearspeed announced its CSX600 math-coprocessor plug-in last year, with the stated intention of creating a socket plugin version for Torrenza.

Torrenza will accept accelerators in a PCI-Express interface, allow for multiple application specific accelerators to access system memory and processor functions directly.Torrenza competitor to be launched by Intel mostly in 2008.