At SIGGRAPH 2010, AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced availability of the first software driver for desktop computing environments to support the WebGL industry standard, which is designed to bring pluginfree 3D graphics to the Internet. The AMD OpenGL® ES 2.0 driver is intended to help developers easily create exciting 3D content that can be rendered more quickly for consumers using opensource web browsers, thereby helping create an applicationlike browser experience.
"AMD is a steadfast supporter of industry standards, including those that unlock the power of GPU acceleration," said Manju Hegde, corporate vice president, AMD Fusion Experience Program. "At AMD, we see the future of computing as being intensely visual, requiring a variety of rich media 2D and 3D applications. With functionality like the OpenGL ES 2.0 driver and technology breakthroughs made possible by AMD Fusion APUs, we aim to deliver the ideal development platform for immersive experiences both online and natively on virtually any PC form factor."
In addition to enabling 3D and applicationlike experiences on the web, AMD's new driver empowers software developers to use desktop PCs and workstations powered by AMD graphics, as opposed to embedded systems, when creating applications based on OpenGL ES 2.0 for smartphones, tablets and other portable devices. And a common OpenGL ES programming environment makes it easier for developers to port software applications between PCs and handhelds, bringing a seamless computing experience, regardless of device, within our grasp.
Industry association The Khronos Group is developing the open, crossplatform WebGL standard, which is expected to be available later this year. According to Khronos, browser vendors Apple (Safari), Google (Chrome), Mozilla (Firefox), and Opera (Opera) are contributors of the WebGL Working Group.
The OpenGL ES 2.0 driver from AMD will be generally available with the upcoming ATI Catalyst(TM) 10.7 beta for OpenGL ES 2.0, expected to be available later today. The OpenGL ES 2.0 driver will be supported on all currently available AMD graphics products introduced since 2008, including ATI Radeon(TM) desktop graphics, ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) graphics, and ATI FirePro(TM) professional graphics cards.
This release further strengthens AMD's support of industry standard development tools, following AMD's previous "firsts" to support OpenCL(TM) , OpenGL 4.0 and DirectX® 11, among others.[ii]
Supporting Resources:
- Planet Mozilla blog http://planet.mozilla.org/
- Download the OpenGL ES driver here http://support.amd.com/...
- AMD Developer Central blog http://blogs.amd.com/...
- Khronos WebGL press release here http://www.khronos.org/...
Supported graphics products include ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT, ATI Radeon HD 3000 series, ATI Radeon HD 4000 series, ATI Radeon HD 5000 series, ATI Mobility Radeon 3000 series, ATI Mobility Radeon 4000 series, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5000 series, and ATI FirePro V3700, V3750, V5700, V7750, V8700, V8750, V3800, V4800, V5800, V7800, V8800.
[ii]In August 2009 AMD was the first to deliver and submit certification for the industry's first OpenCL Development Platform for x86 CPUs: http://www.amd.com/...
In September 2009 AMD introduced the first DirectX11compliant graphics cards: http://www.amd.com/...
In March 2010, AMD announced the availability of OpenGL® 4.0 support http://blogs.amd.com/...
In October 2009, AMD was also the first chip supplier to support OpenCL with GPUs and x86 CPUs: http://www.amd.com/...
"AMD is a steadfast supporter of industry standards, including those that unlock the power of GPU acceleration," said Manju Hegde, corporate vice president, AMD Fusion Experience Program. "At AMD, we see the future of computing as being intensely visual, requiring a variety of rich media 2D and 3D applications. With functionality like the OpenGL ES 2.0 driver and technology breakthroughs made possible by AMD Fusion APUs, we aim to deliver the ideal development platform for immersive experiences both online and natively on virtually any PC form factor."
In addition to enabling 3D and applicationlike experiences on the web, AMD's new driver empowers software developers to use desktop PCs and workstations powered by AMD graphics, as opposed to embedded systems, when creating applications based on OpenGL ES 2.0 for smartphones, tablets and other portable devices. And a common OpenGL ES programming environment makes it easier for developers to port software applications between PCs and handhelds, bringing a seamless computing experience, regardless of device, within our grasp.
Industry association The Khronos Group is developing the open, crossplatform WebGL standard, which is expected to be available later this year. According to Khronos, browser vendors Apple (Safari), Google (Chrome), Mozilla (Firefox), and Opera (Opera) are contributors of the WebGL Working Group.
The OpenGL ES 2.0 driver from AMD will be generally available with the upcoming ATI Catalyst(TM) 10.7 beta for OpenGL ES 2.0, expected to be available later today. The OpenGL ES 2.0 driver will be supported on all currently available AMD graphics products introduced since 2008, including ATI Radeon(TM) desktop graphics, ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) graphics, and ATI FirePro(TM) professional graphics cards.
This release further strengthens AMD's support of industry standard development tools, following AMD's previous "firsts" to support OpenCL(TM) , OpenGL 4.0 and DirectX® 11, among others.[ii]
Supporting Resources:
- Planet Mozilla blog http://planet.mozilla.org/
- Download the OpenGL ES driver here http://support.amd.com/...
- AMD Developer Central blog http://blogs.amd.com/...
- Khronos WebGL press release here http://www.khronos.org/...
Supported graphics products include ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT, ATI Radeon HD 3000 series, ATI Radeon HD 4000 series, ATI Radeon HD 5000 series, ATI Mobility Radeon 3000 series, ATI Mobility Radeon 4000 series, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5000 series, and ATI FirePro V3700, V3750, V5700, V7750, V8700, V8750, V3800, V4800, V5800, V7800, V8800.
[ii]In August 2009 AMD was the first to deliver and submit certification for the industry's first OpenCL Development Platform for x86 CPUs: http://www.amd.com/...
In September 2009 AMD introduced the first DirectX11compliant graphics cards: http://www.amd.com/...
In March 2010, AMD announced the availability of OpenGL® 4.0 support http://blogs.amd.com/...
In October 2009, AMD was also the first chip supplier to support OpenCL with GPUs and x86 CPUs: http://www.amd.com/...
