AMD Cancels Next-Generation CPUs (Komodo and Corona)

The new CEO from Advanced Micro Devices did say he was aiming for a more aggressive approach, and it looks like that approach may include essential modifications to the CPU roadmap.

Those users keeping track of happenings on the IT industry will invariably invest some attention into the CPU segment.

In the case of AMD (Advanced Micro Devices), the company has been known to be working on a certain set of next-generation CPUs that would succeed, in 2012, this year's FX Zambezi units.

Leaks and reports had mentioned 8 to 10 Bulldozer cores (Piledriver) and the Fusion Controller Hub which, among other things, brought a built-in PCI Express 3.0 controller to the equation.

They were going to be the foundation of the Corona platform, complete with a new form factor.

For those that need an elaboration, integrating PCI Express in a microprocessor leads to faster CPU-GPU data exchanges, essential in high-end desktops and workstations. Putting PCI Express 3.0 was a clear sign of high prowess.

Now, however, a new report has appeared, one that states that all plans for Komodo and Corona releases have been scrapped.

The new roadmap contains, instead, the Vishera microprocessors and the Volan/Scorpius platform, which are less progressive.

Little is actually known about them, except for the number of maximum possible cores (eight Piledriver instead of ten) and the lack of PCI Express 3.0 integration.

A dual-channel DDR3 memory controller will be included, as will compatibility with AM3+ infrastructure (with AMD 990FX core-logic sets), but the lack of the above feature hints at possible struggles ahead on the high-end segment.

The third quarter of 2012 is the implied time of arrival for the Vishera/Scorpius (Volan is the code-name, but sources named it Scorpius Refresh). This can mean anything between July and early September.

AMD recently got a new CEO, so his new business plan might have had something to do with this. Then again, cancellations like this don't usually come because of business decisions, so technical problems with Komodo are more likely to have caused all this.

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