Open Source Driver Debuts for AMD Fusion Chip

Complete with integrated Radeon HD 6250 graphics, the Ontario is the first chip in that line to get Linux support, including 3D

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dual-core chip called Ontario, is a low-powered offering in AMD's Fusion line and is designed primarily for use in netbooks and similar devices.

The Fusion family of chips, known as Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), combine high-performance serial computing and parallel graphics processing cores onto a single die to improve visual and data-intensive tasks. In essence, they blend CPU, GPU, video processing and other accelerator capabilities.

Speed Delivery

Currently, this initial open-source support is apparently comparable to that already seen in the Radeon HD 5000 "Evergreen," including user-space mode-setting, kernel mode-setting, 2D EXA, X-Video, and 3D/OpenGL support, Phoronix reported.

AMD instituted an open source strategy about two years ago, but yesterday's move is its quickest delivery of Linux support to date, Phoronix noted. The first Fusion chips only began shipping a few weeks ago, so hardware using the processors is still hard to come by.

Devices based on the Ontario chip as well as the laptop-targeting Zacate processor in the Fusion line are expected to debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Both chips integrate graphics processors capable of playing 1080p video and are compatible with DirectX 11.

All in all, AMD seems to be increasingly recognizing the importance of Linux support.