ATI Southern Islands GPUs to be available in November?

Sources at graphics card makers told DigiTimes that AMD will do a paperlaunch of its Southern Islands GPUs in October, with product availability slated for November. These new chips will still be made on a 40nm process because TSMC decided to skip 32nm for GPUs and advanced directly to 28nm. Moreover, the site also notes that AMD will cut prices of its Radeon HD 5000 series to defend its marketshare.

To defend its market share, AMD plans to cut prices for its ATI Radeon HD 5000-series GPUs in the near future. The action also serves as preparation for the upcoming Southern Islands GPUs, the sources noted.

AMD originally planned to have its next-generation GPUs using 32nm process and codenamed the chips Northern Islands, but Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) skipped its 32nm R&D for GPUs and advanced directly to 28nm R&D. In response AMD adjusted its plans and decided to continue adopting a 40nm process, while changing the product's codename to Southern Islands, the sources explained.