AMD Sends Out Initial Open-Source Linux Graphics Support For "Picasso" APUs

[fuzz]

Am I the only one who wishes there was a HEDT APU? When I think of an APU I don't just assume "poor man's desktop", I think HSA and "the closer the GPU and CPU are, the better". FrameRipper , anyone?

I have been hoping the same for quite a while... HSA has the potential to integrate GPU compute into more applications where it just isn't worth it right now. HSA workstation and server parts would be *amazing*!

[ms178]

Looking at Gen-Z and thinking about the new possibilities the new interconnect and the new PECFF form factor provides, I can imagine that AMD might be very keen on using this new technology to bring better memory troughput and latency to all of its platforms (from notebooks up to servers). At least I can see a huge benefit for CPU + dGPU and also APU + dGPU scenarios. I hope ZEN2 and the new chipsets will support this as it will also make PCIE 4 and 5 mainboards cheaper as the implementation of the new connector is advertised to be much more cost effective (take a look over here: https://genzconsortium.org/meeting-c...ds-with-pecff/).

[haplo602]

Well, hopefully some Laptop OEMs get their heads out of the sand and make a decent AMD laptop.Although at this point it's probably relatively safe to assume that they've received incentives again, from a certain company, to not do that.

And they support it with proper drivers .... not just launch driver and that was it ...

[discordian]

Am I the only one who wishes there was a HEDT APU? When I think of an APU I don't just assume "poor man's desktop", I think HSA and "the closer the GPU and CPU are, the better". FrameRipper , anyone?

I am wishing for a threadripper with APU aswell, but I would be content if it could drive a desktop on 2 monitors.
And I am also wishing that games could automatically use an (otherwise powergated) discrete card while forwarding the framebuffer to the APU (either directly for fullscreen or as buffer for window compositing).
(as bonus, that way it would be enough if your APU has wayland support).

should not be too hard to do IMHO, "Lookinglass" does something similar for Windows10 running in KVM. Just push this downward into DRM, so its universally usable.

[wizard69]

I am not sure, but doesn't that mean a different wiring? hence.. a different socket, aka no more until year 2020 - AM4 compatible?
Perhaps there could be improvements in the DCC/Caching that could be leveraged with the additional transistors/silicon footprint.

HBM would be in package much like it is on the GPU's. You would need to buy the APU with the amount of fast memory you want. AMD should be able to get this to work with an AM4 socket transparently. The interesting thing here is if the HBM is pinned to the GPU you have freed up a significant amount of bandwidth to slow memory for the CPU's.

[wizard69]

A boring APU. I suppose just a die shrink of Raven to 12nm. The really cool stuff will arrive a year later with 7nm... I wonder if by then AMD will have solved the memory bandwidth problem. Raven is already severely bandwidth limited. It is a shame to have a 1.8 teraflop igpu with dual ddr4 bandwidth, while it needs at least double that. With 7nm and assuming at least a 1.5x increase in theoretical performance, the memory bandwidth needs will be even bigger. HBM3 perhaps? Quad channel ddr4? Something else?

With a name like Picasso you would expect a little more than a process shrink. If nothing else something done like you mention to address the bandwidth problems all APU's have. Simply implementing the rumored APU with HBM would do much to improve the APU without a need to address the CPU nor the GPU directly. I'm surprised AMD hasn't done a HBM supporting APU already.

[TemplarGR]

TemplarGR bandwith usage doesn't scale linearly with power because of cache memory

I think this is incorrect. Perhaps not 100% linearly but close enough. The caches typically available for apus are not exactly large enough to really cover for the butchered bandwidth, that they also have to share with the cpu part...

[rene]

Well, hopefully some Laptop OEMs get their heads out of the sand and make a decent AMD laptop.Although at this point it's probably relatively safe to assume that they've received incentives again, from a certain company, to not do that.

yep, really sad the Lenovo ideapad was cTDP limited :-/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GAq7I60tLg

[Raven3x7]

Well, hopefully some Laptop OEMs get their heads out of the sand and make a decent AMD laptop.Although at this point it's probably relatively safe to assume that they've received incentives again, from a certain company, to not do that.

[dungeon]

Reminds me on Cirrus Logic's PicassoIV graphic card for Amiga... there is no problem for just codename i guess