Bringing HSA and GCN to mobile
Today's a big day for AMD, and perhaps the start of a new era. That's because AMD just introduced the world to its new 2014 lineup of performance mobile APUs, codenamed Kaveri, which will slip into power efficient laptops and high-end notebooks. The new mobile APUs also represent the debut of AMD's Heterogeneous System Architecture (HSA) features and Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture for mobile devices.

"AMD takes a major step forward today on our journey to transform and enhance the computing experience with the launch of the 2014 Performance Mobile APU family," said Bernd Lienhard, corporate vice president and general manager, Client Business Unit, AMD. "With a combination of superior total compute performance, stunning graphics and efficient power use alongside industry-first technologies, these new APUs set a new bar for cutting-edge consumer and commercial PCs."

This launch follows the recent introduction of AMD's 2014 line of low power and mainstream APUs. AMD's Kaveri family will be the company's first FX-branded enthusiast-class APU for notebooks, which will range in type from personal and gaming systems to professional laptop models. Several OEMs are already on board to support Kaveri, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Toshiba, and others.

Kaveri offers up to a dozen Compute Cores (4 CPU + 8 GPU). These chips boast up to AMD Radeon R7 series graphics and offer support to 4K Ultra HD. They also support several AMD technologies of note, such as the company's Mantle API, Quick Stream, Steady Video, and TrueAudio technologies.

AMD Kaveri 2014 APUs

This is an interesting release, though it's not likely Intel is sweating bullets over Kaveri, especially with its refreshed Haswell release around the bend. If history is any indication, AMD's release will offer very good performance at attractive price points, but won't be the fastest on the block.