At SXSW Microsoft unveiled Internet Explorer 9 to enable a host of new web browsing features. One of the more important features, especially to home town firm AMD, is GPU hardware acceleration. By off loading tasks from the CPU to the GPU, IE 9 can deliver a more visual and immersive Web experience. AMD Supports doing this with discrete Radeon graphics cards and the Fusion APU.
So what is an APU, you say? We will go into that below. At the moment, this is a term that only AMD is using for its products.
In the Past
Before we talk about APU, let’s take a high level look at how it has been done in the past.
The Central Processor Unit CPU has been the heart of every PC for three decades., but the CPU does have weaknesses. One of the greatest is linear data execution. Graphics processors (GPU), by comparison, consist of many small cores that execute data simultaneously. This makes it easier for them to perform certain tasks, like video decoding and 3D graphics. You know the things that the modern web and PC’s are used for. MS has worked on this with Internet Explorer 9.
What is an APU?
The AMD Fusion APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) is simply a processor that combines CPU and GPU elements into a single architecture. By adding graphics processing cores into the same silicon chip the Central Processor Unit (CPU) and letting them share a cache, AMD can offer a lower cost chip with performance gains over past designs. Another advantage brought by APUs is improved power efficiency, AKA better battery life than similar systems with a CPU and a separate discrete graphics processor.
IE 9 Brings a Richer and Faster Web
“For far too long the web we all enjoy has been relegated to second class status. Compared to the rich, dynamic, and fast experiences we get with native apps, the web today is relatively flat. That changes with Internet Explorer 9,” said Ryan Gavin, senior director of Internet Explorer, Microsoft. “A fully hardware accelerated browser, taking advantage of Windows and the latest in PC hardware innovations such as the AMD Fusion Family of APUs and discrete HD graphics solutions, means the web as we know it is about to change. GPU-powered HTML5 in Internet Explorer 9 with AMD Fusion chip technology means web developers have the ability to create fast, immersive and increasingly beautiful web experiences.”
Gabe Gravning, strategic alliance manager at AMD ,offers his perspective on launch in this blog post.
You can download IE 9 from Microsoft now.
AMD’s IE 9 ♥ APU Give Away
AMD is Giving away three HP Pavillion dm1z notebooks, the award-winning AMD Fusion APU-powered laptop. Go to www.IE9heartsAPU.com from your PC or phone and enter for your chance to win. Click here for official contest rules. Please Note Takes on Tech is not associated with this conteast in any way.
