AMD unveils new Richland AMD Elite A-Series APUs

AMD has officially launched its Richland APU (accelerated processing unit), an SoC which is powerful enough to support features like facial-based logins and precise gesture recognition.

As expected, the new chip also supports improved graphics, while offering a significant boost in computing performance compared to previous generation of silicon.

AMD also has baked-in enhanced power management capabilities into the chips, which translates into longer battery life for mobile devices.

“The high performance AMD A-Series APU deliver stunnings graphics and immersive experiences with even more battery life. Our engineers have done a superb job of increasing processor performance while decreasing power consumption,” said AMD exec Bernd Lienhard.

“With the capabilities built into our 2013 AMD Elite A-Series APUs, including new software for gesture control, facial recognition, rich entertainment and more lifelike gaming, we are delivering an ever richer experience to end users and our customers.”

According to Lienhard, the processors are paired with AMD Radeon HD 8000 series GPUs, which is all part of a strategy to focus on a “differentiated user experience” the  new lineup of chips is expected to facilitate.

These include an option to use facial recognition technology to quickly log users into Windows and other browser-based websites such as social networking and e-mail. Meanwhile, AMD Gesture Control tracks a user’s hand gestures and converts them into commands for basic functions on the media player, browser, and other popular apps.

The new chips also support Screen Mirror. allowing users to wirelessly share content such as photos, video, and streaming media as well as webpages from a PC or tablet to a TV or other display supporting DLNA. The final user experience touted by AMD is a video entertainment suite designed to optimize content by stabilizing images and ensuring  interruption free playback.

All of the above-mentioned software arrives preloaded on select AMD Elite A-series APU architecture notebooks, which should be available sometime this month.