AMD has released Catalyst 12.9 beta drivers today. This includes the new Enduro drivers with GPU accelleration for notebooks.

AMD Catalyst Mobility now includes support for AMD Enduro Technology.

AMD Enduro Technology for Notebooks delivers:
Long lasting battery life
GPU accelerated performance for gaming, video, and compute apps
A Seamless and automatic experience
New features found in Catalyst 12.9 Beta:

Re-designed Catalyst Control Center user interface
View all profiled applications
View recently run applications
Profile applications based on power source
Expert mode control and customization
Performance centric AC
Battery centric DC
Performance highlights of AMD Catalyst™ 12.9 Beta (versus AMD Catalyst 12.8)

Up to 10% in Lost Planet 2 in single GPU configurations
Feature Highlights of AMD Catalyst 12.9 Beta Linux® Driver: New OS Support

This release of AMD Catalyst Linux introduces support for the following new operating systems.

Ubuntu 12.10 early look support
RHEL 6.3 production support
Resolved issue highlights of the AMD Catalyst 12.9 Beta driver

Tri and Quad CrossFire+ Eyefinity configurations – Certain DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 applications lower than expected performance
FireFox – corruption observed in CrossFire configurations
Enabling Overdrive settings increased clocks in all power states
Availability of AMD Video Converter support in AMD Catalyst 12.9 Beta Windows 7 and Windows Vista packages

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AMD just set out the following about the upcoming Trinity desktop launch.

October 2nd marks an exciting new chapter in modern processing history!

The next generation AMD A-Series Accelerated Processing Units, codenamed Trinity, will soon be available for the first time in the channel. Be the first to order on October 2nd.

With more cores, more speed, more graphics and more upgradability, everything that was already so innovative (APU = CPU + GPU) about the first generation A-Series APUs is now that much more entertaining.

More Cores and Speed
Up to 10 cores (4 CPU + 6 GPU)
Up to 900MHz more per part than the competition (AMD A10-5800K APU vs. Intel Core i3 3220 Processor)
Overclock for Even Higher Frequencies...Break the 1GHz barrier on the GPU!1
Best Entertainment

3X the compute of a traditional CPU2
More FPS and 1080p gaming
Better Looking HD Videos
Easy Upgrade Path

Enhanced performance capabilities and platform longevity with FM2 motherboards for future upgrades
Up to 75% boost on select graphics cards with AMD Radeon™ Dual Graphics3
AMD Memory Profile Support for automatic performance
Why Sell Trinity APUs?
What the Experts are Saying about Trinity4

“Granted the 29 percent CPU performance boost is pretty impressive, but it's that 56 percent increase in the GPU that will be of most interest to gamers. Whether you're a casual gamer who likes playing web-based games or a hardcore gamer who stands in line for every new release in the Call of Duty series, the GPU inside the new A-series APU genuinely lives up to AMD's label of ‘discrete-class graphics.’”
– Jerry Jackson, Notebook Review

“AMD has a very credible chip on their hands with Trinity, and Intel should be very worried.”
– Charlie Demerjian, SemiAccurate

“The final factor for AMD’s Trinity processor is price, which is where the chip shines brightest.”
– Scott Nichols, TechRadar

The Bottom Line

The next generation “Trinity” A-Series APUs provide even more features for the dollars (cores, frequency, upgradeability)...even more opportunity for tweaking and overclocking...and are better than ever at performing the compute-demanding activities (entertainment, gaming) today’s customers care most about.1

Download marketing assets - FPP Portal
FM2 Socket Transition Info Sheet
FM2 Socket Cheat Sheet

1. AMD's product warranty does not cover damages caused by overclocking, even when overclocking is enabled with AMD hardware or software
2. GFLOPs calculations developed by AMD performance labs measuring compute capacity for the AMD A10-5800K APU with AMD Radeon™ HD 7650D Graphics which is 736 GFLOPS. GFLOPs calculated using GFLOPs = CPU GFLOPs + GPU GFLOPs = CPU Core Freq. (3.8GHz) X Core Count (4) X 8 FLOPS + GPU Core Freq.(800MHz) X DirectX® 11 capable Shader Count (384) X 2 FLOPS.
3. Testing conducted by AMD performance labs using Diablo III @ 1920x1080, Maximum settings, shadows medium. Test configurations: AMD A10-5800K APU with AMD Radeon™ HD 6570 Graphics using 2x4GB DDR3-1866 with Windows® 7 64 bit scored 34 fps, while the same system with AMD Dual Graphics Mode enabled scored 60 fps.
4. Press Quotes:
Notebook Review, AMD A10-4600M Review: A Closer Look at AMD’s “Trinity”
SemiAccurate, Is AMD’s Trinity much better than it appears?
Tech Radar.computing, AMD Trinity processor hopes to take on Ultrabook market

Techpowerup has details about AMD's demo of the upcoming FX-8350 and A10-5800K near IDF yesterday.  Have we ever seen any of these CPUs?  Maybe, but not at IDF.  Game Republik is taking up too much of my time as well as are my daughters to make it out this year.  Maybe CES.  Maybe.  

The FX-8350 was shown installed on a machine with ASUS Crosshair V Formula (-Z?) motherboard, liquid cooling, and Radeon HD 7970 graphics card. The chip was clocked at 5.00 GHz (4.80 GHz when the picture was taken), and running popular CPU-intensive benchmarks such as WPrime and Cinebench. The A10-5800K was shown running application demos, including a widget that displays real-time boost states of the processor and GPU cores.

AMD has set us word that they have released Catalyst Application Profiles version 12.8.  This adds a new CrossFire profile for Borderlands 2 coming out tomorrow, and has fixes for Guild Wars 2, World of Warcraft, and more.

This release of AMD Catalyst™ delivers support for the latest AMD CrossFireX™ profiles in a separate executable file ensuring users have access to the absolute latest set of profiles installed on their PC.

New profiles added to this release:
- Borderlands 2 – New CrossFire profile
- Guild War 2: Resolves grass texture corruption observed when changing graphics settings in a CrossFire configuration
- World of Warcraft(DX9): Fix the flickering observed when view distance is changed to fair in graphics settings when CrossFire is enabled
- Depth Hunter: Resolves shadow flickering seen when running in CrossFire mode
- Dirt Showdown – Resolves flickering seen in CrossFire mode - Stalker Call of Pripyat – Resolves flickering seen in CrossFire mode
- War of Roses – Fixes flickering seen in CrossFire mode

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AMD Enables Efficient and Cost-Effective Solutions on Windows Server 2012 AMD Opteron™ 4200 and 6200 Series Processors Deliver Unparalleled Price/Performance SUNNYVALE, Calif. —9/4/2012 AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced that it has worked closely with Microsoft throughout the Windows Server 2012 development process to deliver an exceptional server solution powered by its award-winning AMD Opteron™ processors. AMD Opteron processors are ideally suited to deliver unparalleled server price performance, maximizing productivity and delivering compelling total cost of ownership (TCO) for customers. Both companies have optimized their respective hardware and software technologies to address the rapidly expanding demands of today’s business computing environments, from extensive virtualization and the continued move to cloud computing to managing increasingly larger amounts of online data. For example, Microsoft makes extensive use of servers powered by AMD Opteron processors in its Windows Azure public cloud. With Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V, customers can now enjoy unprecedented scalability with support for up to 64 virtual processors and one terabyte of memory per virtual machine and support for up to 4,000 virtual machines per cluster.

“We congratulate Microsoft on the release of the Windows Server 2012 operating system,” said Suresh Gopalakrishnan, corporate vice president and general manager of Servers, AMD. “AMD Opteron 4200 and 6200 Series processors are ready to deliver the advantages of Windows Server 2012. Our next-generation ‘Piledriver’-based core takes further advantage of the advances in Windows Server 2012 to address customers’ growing needs around virtualization, cloud computing, and managing increasingly large sets of data.”

“Windows Server 2012 was built from the cloud up; it delivers a transformational leap in speed, power, and scale. Customers want dependable, scalable hardware platforms, such as AMD Opteron processors, that provide consistent performance as workloads increase and decrease,” said Mike Schutz, general manager, Product Marketing, Server and Tools Business, Microsoft. “The combined power of Windows Server 2012 and AMD Opteron processors is a cornerstone for flexible and virtualized environments and cloud computing.”

The close association between AMD and Microsoft has deep roots, with this latest milestone demonstrating innovation that is helping customers run more efficient and cost-effective businesses. Windows Server 2012 makes the most of the dense core counts and modular architecture of AMD Opteron 4200 and 6200 Series processors, as well as the forthcoming “Piledriver”-based families. By utilizing the power of an AMD- and Microsoft-optimized solution, customers can take advantage of balanced, scalable solutions with excellent price/performance that are easy to manage and operate in today's demanding business environment.

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Semiaccurate details AMD AWD technology.  Yes, they are going all wheel drive.  Ok, no, it is AMD Wireless Display.   

Currently, AWD uses a third-party software encoder to send a mirrored image of you PC’s primary display to your TV using the Wifi Alliance’s WFDisplay Standard. AMD demoed this ability at this year’s CES. The hope is to have a native hardware based solution ready by sometime in 2013. AMD is also aiming to integrate AWD controls into its Catalyst Control Center so you can manage the service from there.

Semiaccurate looks at AMD's Hot Chips presentation by Mark Papermaster on Steamroller.  

In a world where CPU architecture people would kill for a full percentage gain in the front end, and one or two fractional percentage gains from different areas are considered a clear win, AMD is claiming a 30% gain in ops delivered per cycle and 25% more max-width dispatches per thread. In short, they did the obvious, and it did the obvious, but 30% is a massive gain that is hard to understate.

Now I have walked by AT&T Park in San Francisco, but never been to a game.  Sunday's game against the Dodgers will snag you a free AMD APU.  

The Giants have always been a leader when it comes to leveraging the latest technology for fans at AT&T Park. Now the Giants and technology partner AMD want to give you an opportunity to put leading-edge technology right in your hands and learn how you can build your own PC experience. Your special event package includes a seat in the AMD Fast Pitch section, an AMD A-Series Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) and hands-on overviews led by industry experts on how you can build your own PC or Home Theater PC from 3-5 in Seals Plaza. Come learn how to be a PC "do-it-yourselfer" and then watch the Giants take on rival Los Angeles Dodgers in this critical division match-up.

Anandtech looks at the Clevo P170EM which includes AMD's HD 7970M, and also their Enduro switchable graphics.  It allows the discrete GPU to be turned off and integrated to be used instead to increase battery life.

Step forward to early 2012 and we got another update to PowerXpress 5.0 (note that PowerXpress is now only used internally by AMD and hasn’t been their marketing name since PX4.0) along with a rechristening: Dynamic Switchable Graphics was out and Enduro was in. If nothing else, at least it makes my job easier as Enduro is much more concise. There's also the fact that the GPUs are no longer "switching", as the iGPU is always running; now the dGPU is simply supplementing the iGPU when needed. Along with the name change, AMD added OpenGL and OpenCL support to the mix, and with their Zero Core Technology (which is also part of their 7000 series desktop GPUs—a case of mobile design influencing desktops) the need to keep a small portion of the chip alive (aka BACO: Bus Active Chip Off) was removed. OEMs could also ship with custom profiles for applications, so for example Dell might want all of their extra utilities to default to running on the iGPU.

Forbes details Evercore Partners cutting their ratings on not only AMD, but also Nvidia and Intel.  Weak PC demand is the usual culprit.

“A lot of bad news is priced in while we had been cautious on shares as the stock slid 43% over the past year,” he writes in a research note. “So why [downgrade to Underweight] now? We fail to see positive catalysts on the horizon and think shares continue to lag the group as the company climbs out of its hole and looks to regain its footing. Further, we expect AMD to underperform relative to peers as we warm up to the chip sector and expect SOX strength exiting 2012.”