AMD Completes ATI Acquisition, Plans 'Fusion' CPU/GPU Combo

AMD has announced the completion of its approximately $5.4 billion acquisition of ATI Technologies, also announcing plans to develop a set of 'Fusion' CPU/GPU processors, for uses including PC gaming, in late 2008 to early 2009. Under the terms of the transaction, AMD acquired all of the outstanding common shares of ATI for a combination of approximately $4.3 billion in cash and 58 million shares of AMD common stock, based on the number of shares of ATI common stock outstanding on October 24, 2006. The value of the ATI acquisition of approximately $5.4 billion is based upon the closing stock price of AMD common stock on October 24, 2006 of $20.32 per share and excludes the value of assumed equity awards. With approximately 15,000 employees, the company merges AMD's technology leadership in microprocessors together with ATI's leadership in graphics, chipsets and consumer electronics. AMD plans to deliver a range of integrated platforms in 2007 to serve key markets, including: commercial clients; mobile computing; and gaming and media computing. PC users will benefit from innovations intended to extend battery life on the next-generation AMD Turion 64 mobile technology-based platform and enhancements to the AMD LIVE! digital media PC platform that will enable users to get more from their favorite photos, music, and movies. In addition, the company plans to create a new class of x86 processor that integrates the central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) at the silicon level with a broad set of design initiatives collectively codenamed "Fusion." AMD intends to design Fusion processors to provide step-function increases in performance-per-watt relative to today's CPU-only architectures, and to provide the best customer experience in a world increasingly reliant upon 3D graphics, digital media and high-performance computing. With Fusion processors, AMD will continue to promote an open platform and encourage companies throughout the ecosystem to create innovative new co-processing solutions aimed at further optimizing specific workloads. AMD-powered Fusion platforms will continue to fully support high-end discrete graphics, physics accelerators, and other PCI Express-based solutions to meet the ever-increasing needs of the most demanding enthusiast end-users. Fusion processors are expected in late 2008/early 2009, and the company expects to use them within all of the company's priority computing categories, including laptops, desktops, workstations and servers, as well as in consumer electronics and solutions tailored for the unique needs of emerging markets.