Great news……Microsoft today made an announcement that will accelerate the adoption of GPU computing (that is, the use of GPUs as a companion processor to CPUs). The software maker is working on a new programming language extension, called C++ AMP, with a focus on accelerating applications with GPUs. With Microsoft now embracing GPUs in their future higher level language and OS roadmap, it makes the decision to go with GPU computing even easier for those programmers still on the fence. Its intent with ...

Late last year, LucidLogix introduced us to Virtu, the GPU virtualization software that makes disparate GPUs play nice on Sandy Bridge PCs, and now its extending the love to AMD Bulldozer and Brazos machines. The latest version of the software, dubbed Virtu Universal, also extends GPU virtualization to all-in-ones and notebooks (on both AMD and Intel), enabling simple switching between discrete graphics and the integrated ilk. What's more, the program ushers in the debut of Virtual Vsync, which claims to bring ...

Advanced Micro Devices said this week that it has shipped about 5 million of its power-efficient Fusion processors to date, as it makes inroads thanks to Intel's fading Netbook franchise. Traditional Netbooks are minimalist, typically sub-$350 laptops that average about 3 pounds and feature Intel's power-frugal Atom processors. But the specially designated category of Netbooks is fading as more companies and consumers gravitate to plain old small laptops, minus the Netbook nomenclature and minus Intel's Atom. ...