AMD set to release free software giving millions of ATI Radeonâ„¢ Owners new way to run demanding computing tasks faster than ever

1. December ATI Catalystâ„¢ driver release automatically switches on ATI Stream acceleration in ATI Radeonâ„¢ graphics cards found in millions of PCs
2. To enable instant benefit, users will also be able to download free Avivoâ„¢ Video Converter that makes high-definition video conversion up to 17x faster

AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced that starting next month, the company plans to release for download a free ATI Catalystâ„¢ driver update that instantly unlocks new ATI Stream acceleration capabilities already built into millions of ATI Radeonâ„¢ graphics cards.
ATI Stream is a set of advanced hardware and software technologies that enable AMD graphics processors (GPU), working in concert with the system’s central processor (CPU), to accelerate applications beyond just graphics. This results in better balanced platforms capable of running demanding computing tasks faster than ever1.

ATI Stream-enabled software titles for entertainment, gaming and productivity are being released or are under development by a growing list of independent software vendors (ISVs) including ArcSoft and CyberLink.

To give users immediate benefit from ATI Stream, AMD also plans to release in December a free downloadable version of its ATI Avivoâ„¢ Video Converter utility. This intuitive, easy-to-use application enables transcoding of HD video up to 17 times faster1 than with the CPU alone, in tests performed using an ATI Radeonâ„¢ HD 4850 graphics card.
“ATI Stream is one of the best examples of the power of Fusion, and today’s announcement is the first major step in taking this important new technology mainstream,” said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, Graphics Products Group, AMD. “For the millions of people that have already purchased an ATI Radeon HD 4000 series graphics card, this is one more way we’re saying thank you and helping them get more out of their investment. For those who haven’t yet, it’s one more reason for them to go online right now and buy one.”

ATI Radeon graphics processors from AMD are already found in millions of PCs around the world, each running the ATI Catalyst software driver. In the past 12 months, the various ATI Catalyst driver packages have been downloaded 48 million times, averaging nearly four million downloads each month.

About ATI Stream

ATI Stream is a set of open AMD technologies that allow the hundreds of parallel Stream cores inside AMD GPUs to accelerate general purpose applications, resulting in platforms capable of delivering dramatically high performance-per-watt. The freely distributed, fully open Stream SDK allows programmers to make advanced use of AMD hardware, and helps them to create fast, energy efficient applications on a growing variety of platforms and operating systems. For more information please visit www.amd.com/stream.

About AMD

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is an innovative technology company dedicated to collaborating with customers and industry partners to ignite the next generation of computing and graphics solutions at work, home and play. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.