AMD will sell cut-down PS4 APU

From the PS4 announcement, we found out that the new console would have an eight-core AMD Jaguar APU. Details of the chip were thin on the ground, with only some AMD-specific information released.

What we do know is that the Jaguar, as with AMD’s current A-series APUs, combines a processor and graphics chip in one. While the PC chips are all AMD technology, for the PS4 the Jaguar is a custom A-series APU using a mix of AMD and Sony technology.

AMD has opened up about its plans for the parts, telling The Inquirer that it plans to sell the same version of the chip, minus the Sony technology, to PC builders. AMD was also bullish about the performance and quality of the part.

“Everything that Sony has shared in that single chip is AMD [intellectual property], but we have not built an APU quite like that for anyone else in the market. It is by far the most powerful APU we have built to date,” John Taylor, head of AMD’s global business unit, told The Inquirer.

From this we can infer that AMD’s next-generation APUs can be customisable, allowing partners to add their own technology into the mix. What we don’t know yet is exactly what the Sony technology does and if it’ll improve performance.

However, with AMD’s third-generation APUs due out this year, we should be able to get an idea of what the chip is capable of in a PC before we get our hands on the PS4. After the launch of the console, it’ll be evident exactly what Sony’s proprietary technology does and how much AMD’s hardware has been customised.