Microsoft has announced that on May 21st they will reveal the next Xbox.  It will more than likely be AMD powered.  Noon Central Standard Time we will find out more at Xbox.com or on Xbox Live!  We will be streaming the announcement at Game Republik live!

Third annual developer summit to showcase industrywide heterogeneous computing advancements and AMD leadership in APU and GPU technologies
SUNNYVALE, Calif. —4/24/2013
AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced that its AMD Developer Summit 2013, called “APU13,” will be held Nov. 11-14, 2013 in San Jose, California at the McEnery Convention Center. The company’s third annual developer summit is expected to draw the architects and pioneers of the heterogeneous computing era, spanning silicon design, software development and tools, academia and emerging technologies.
Previous AMD developer summits saw the formation of the Heterogeneous System Architecture (HSA) Foundation in 2012 and the Microsoft announcement of C++ AMP in 2011. APU13 builds on that history with engaging sessions where attendees have the opportunity to learn more about next-generation software development, heterogeneous compute technologies and programming methods.
“AMD exceeded my expectations with its first two developer summits,” said Jon Peddie, principal and founder, Jon Peddie Research. “I saw an open and instructive exchange of ideas on software development, tools and APIs, free from the marketing hype that you get at many conferences.”
The APU13 agenda includes two new programs this year:
The summit will feature a series of updates from HSA Foundation members that are collectively working to build a standards-based heterogeneous compute (HC) ecosystem. HSA defines interfaces for parallel computation and enables high bandwidth access to memory and high application performance at low power consumption. Additionally, HSA supports a diverse set of high-level programming languages, thereby creating the next foundation in general purpose computing;
APU13 will also hold its first AMD Ventures Innovation Summit to highlight software and application development companies that utilize and expand uses for AMD solutions.
“This year’s summit will build on the AMD commitment to lead and facilitate the heterogeneous computing era, with the remarkable attending benefits for moving the technology experience forward. Both AMD and the HSA Foundation are excited to bring together technology influencers from all over the world to share in our vision and strategy for an open standard HC ecosystem,” said Phil Rogers, corporate fellow at AMD and president of the HSA Foundation. “We expect the summit to not only motivate future solutions and user experiences, but to also provide intense, provocative learning opportunities for an audience that is very important to us.”
Call for Presentation Proposals
AMD invites pioneers of next-generation software and the rapidly growing field of heterogeneous computing to share their latest work and research findings in the form of presentations. Presenters will have an opportunity to advocate new methodologies and paradigms, garner support for industry standards, and network with developers, innovators and academics who will help define the course of this technology. Presentation proposals are invited on the following topics:
Heterogeneous Computing
Web Technologies
Cloud Computing – Servers & Data Center
Gaming and Consumer Graphics
Innovative Client Experiences
Multimedia Processing
Professional Graphics and Visual Computing
Programming Languages and Models
Programming Tools
Security
Presentation proposals must be submitted by May 10, 2013. All proposals will be reviewed by an APU13 board composed of researchers, academics and practitioners in the field. Selected candidates will be notified on or before June 7, 2013.
Supporting Resources
More information about AMD Developer Summit 2013.
More information about submitting a presentation proposal.
Submit a presentation proposal visit the Call for Papers website.
Tools, resources and information about heterogeneous compute visit the AMD Developer Site.
View 2012 AMD Developer Summit Keynote.

Read more...

AMD Radeon HD 7990, the world’s fastest graphics card, offered with largest-ever free game bundle, including new “Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon”
SUNNYVALE, Calif. —4/24/2013
AMD (NYSE: AMD) today launched the AMD Radeon™ HD 7990, the world’s fastest graphics card1, designed for gamers who want to take their PC gaming experience to the highest level. Based on award-winning AMD Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture with AMD Eyefinity technology2, the AMD Radeon HD 7990 graphics card delivers unrivaled performance and world-class technology for playing the latest DirectX® 11 games in extreme resolutions and multi-monitor configurations.
“If you crave the ultimate in PC gaming, the clear and commanding choice is the Radeon HD 7990 graphics card. No other graphics card on the market measures up to the unparalleled gaming experience it delivers, and it comes with eight AAA game titles optimized for AMD Radeon award-winning GCN architecture,” said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, Graphics Business Unit, AMD. “Once again, AMD shatters the industry benchmark for state-of-the-art graphics technology.”
AMD underscored its commitment to offering the best PC gaming experience by introducing the AMD Radeon HD 7990 graphics card with a refreshed “Never Settle: Reloaded” AAA game bundle. In addition to “Crysis® 3,” “Bioshock® Infinite,” “Tomb Raider™” and four other titles, AMD is including the highly anticipated “Far Cry® 3: Blood Dragon” by Ubisoft®. This new title will also be offered as a thank-you gift to all previous “Never Settle: Reloaded” customers and will be loaded automatically onto existing redemption codes.
“‘Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon’ is an all-out honest cyber shooter that doesn’t take itself too seriously. In a genre saturated with super-serious narrative and realistic settings we felt it was time to inject some good old fashioned robofun into it,” said Dean Evans, creative director, Ubisoft. “Ubisoft’s relationship with AMD’s Gaming Evolved program brings together today’s most sought-after titles in PC gaming with the most advanced graphics technology. With AMD Radeon technology, our top games – ‘Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon’ included – can be played with the quality and performance we intended.”
Continued AMD innovations in graphics technology enables gaming enthusiasts to play the latest and most popular PC games at maximum settings: for instance “Tomb Raider” with TressFX Hair enabled, or the demanding “Crysis 3” in 4K resolution. Impressively, the AMD Radeon HD 7990 GPU was the graphics card of choice to showcase the Electronic Arts public unveiling of “Battlefield 4,” to be released in the fall of 2013.
Key Features and Benefits of AMD Radeon™ HD 7990 Graphics Card
Ultimate in Speed: Combining two of the world’s most advanced GPUs with 6GB of GDDR5 memory, AMD Radeon HD 7990 is the world’s fastest graphics card;
More Screen, More Pixels: Supports up to six simultaneous displays with AMD Eyefinity technology and is the ideal graphics card for gaming on Ultra HD displays (4K resolution);
Silence is Golden: At 100% utilization, AMD Radeon HD 7990 GPU’s whisper-quiet triple-fan cooler is more silent than a typical library3.
“Never Settle: Reloaded” is Now Overloaded
With the launch of AMD Radeon HD 7990 graphics card, AMD is offering the biggest free game bundle in history with a total of eight titles4:

“Crysis 3”
“BioShock Infinite”
“Tomb Raider”
“DeusEx: Human Revolution™”
“Sleeping Dogs™”
“Hitman: Absolution™”
“Far Cry® 3”
“Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon”
The AMD Radeon HD 7990 graphics card will be available worldwide in two weeks. MSRP is $999 US.

Supporting Resources
AMD Radeon HD 7990 Graphics Card Product Page
AMD Radeon HD 7990 Graphics Card Launch Video
AMD Game Blog: “Unveiling the world’s fastest graphics card”
Become a fan of AMD Gaming on Facebook
Follow @AMDRadeon on Twitter

Read more...

Legit Reviews

Anandtech

Hot Hardware

Ocaholic has tested out Bioshock Infinite on a bunch of different GPUs, and also test CPU memory and multi GPU.

- First of all we tested if the integrated benchmark was an accurate representation of the experience you can expect when playing the game for real. To do so we ran the benchmark with three different presets and played the game with the same settings and compare the average FPS measured in both cases. It resulted that the same results, 1-2 fps close, making the integrated benchmark worth it and good.

Anand goes in depth on the return of Raja Koduri back to AMD/ATI from Apple.  Apple it seems in on more of a decline.

Raja Koduri returns to AMD as a Corporate Vice President of Visual Computing, the implication of the title is more important than its indication of how highly AMD values its latest hire. In Raja’s previous role as graphics CTO at AMD, he oversaw GPU hardware but didn’t directly oversee AMD’s software development. For the first time in recent history, both GPU hardware and software are falling under the same man.

The timeframe for Raja’s influence depends on what you’re talking about. Raja’s immediate goal is to ensure that AMD has the best GPU architecture/hardware possible. Unfortunately, it will likely take 2 - 3 years to realize this goal - putting the serious fruits of Raja’s labor somewhere around 2015 - 2016. Interestingly enough, that’s roughly the same time horizon for the fruits of Jim Keller’s CPU work at AMD.

CNet reports that Raja Koduri has returned to AMD. He was most recently at Apple after they bought P.A. Semi.  He came to AMD during the purchase of ATI where he was last CTO of graphics technology.  I recommend to continuing shorting your Apple stock.  It has dropped almost 300 points, and that drop is long overdue.  

The hire is likely to be a big boost to morale at AMD. The company is in the midst of a turnaround led by CEO Rory Read, but the going hasn't been easy. Rival Intel has been dominating the PC and server markets, while graphics competitor Nvidia has gained strong traction with its latest GPU. It doesn't help, either, that the overall computer market has been slumping badly. In one bright spot, though, AMD's graphics will be used in the upcoming Sony Playstation 4.

AMD has released their Q1 2013 earnings report. 

AMD revenue $1.09 billion, decreased 6 percent sequentially and 31 percent year-over-year
Gross margin 41 percent
Operating loss of $98 million, net loss of $146 million, loss per share of $0.19
Non-GAAP1 operating loss of $46 million, net loss of $94 million, loss per share of $0.13
AMD (NYSE:AMD) today announced revenue for the first quarter of 2013 of $1.09 billion, an operating loss of $98 million and a net loss of $146 million, or $0.19 per share. The company reported a non-GAAP operating loss of $46 million and a non-GAAP net loss of $94 million, or $0.13 per share.

"Our first quarter results reflect our disciplined operational execution in a difficult market environment," said Rory Read, AMD president and CEO. “We have largely completed our restructuring and are now focused on delivering a powerful set of new products that will accelerate our business in 2013. We will continue to diversify our portfolio and attack high-growth markets like dense server, ultra low-power client, embedded and semi-custom solutions to create the foundation for sustainable financial returns.”

Hexus reports that AMD will release the Centurion FX at 5GHz on air, and rumored to be $795 in price.  

So how about this as a rumour for a Friday morning? Though AMD will never go on record and confirm this, we have it on good authority that the chip-maker will soon be releasing a super-FX chip. Based on the same 'Vishera' architecture powering the current FX-8350, which runs at up to 4.2GHz, this new FX, codenamed 'Centurion', is to be made available in very limited quantities.

Tech Report compares Bioshock Infinite wtth mid range GPUs comparing AMD's Radeon 7790, 7850 2GB which we use at Game Republik, and the 7870 against the Nvidia 650Ti, 650Ti Boost, and 660. The fact that you get Biohshock Infinite and Tomb Raider with the 7850 2GB and can get that card with rebate for $160 to $170 if you are paying attention, and can overclock it to 1050MHz with relative ease makes it a no brainer for me.  It will work fine with our 7 year old Coolermaster 450 watt power supplies. Also of note their test system only includes 4GB of memory.  We just upgraded from 4GB to 8GB along with our GPU upgrade from 6850s.  I'd be interested if that would matter at all.

All things considered, I think the Radeon HD 7870 is the best option among the cards we tested for BioShock Infinite. It's competitive with the GTX 660 in our 99th-percentile metric, it spends less time working on high-latency frames, and it comes with a free copy of the game. Things are less cut-and-dried with the other cards, though, and I'm hesitant to make an unequivocal recommendation. The best option may come down to your own personal preference.