Advanced Micro Devices has officially unveiled the first details about its forthcoming code-named Shrike mobile platform and code-named Swift processor that combines general purpose x86 core along with graphics processing engine. The company claims that its hybrid processors – with x86 and graphics cores – will help it to compete on the market of ultra-portable mobile systems.

AMD Shrike mobile platform will be based on the code-name Swift processor, which features two x86 processing cores, ATI Radeon HD DirectX 10.1-class graphics processing core, dual-channel DDR3 memory controller as well as PCI Express controller, according to a slide published by GottaBeMobile web-site. The chip will also support external graphics processors as well as DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI display interfaces.

The chipmaker hopes that its first accelerated processing unit (APU) that features general purpose and graphics processing units will provide 20% higher CPU performance and 35% higher GPU performance when compared to existing notebooks based on Puma platform.

What is, perhaps, more important than performance boosts, the Shrike platform will be able to compete on the market of ultra portable notebooks thanks to integration of CPU and GPU which means lower amount of chips per laptop. In addition AMD promises over 6 hours of battery life for Shrike-based notebooks.

At present AMD is practically absent from the market of ultra-portable notebooks: only several Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook models as well as some small mobile computers sold in Japan are powered by AMD Turion central processing units (CPUs).