AMD Chips Boost Online Graphics In IE9AMD Chips Boost Online Graphics In IE9

AMD said it has geared its lineup of next-generation processors and graphics chips to take full advantage of the hardware acceleration capabilities built into Internet Explorer 9—meaning users of AMD-based systems should get an ultra-fast Internet experience within Microsoft's new browser, which was released Monday.

AMD said it worked with Microsoft to ensure that its line of Fusion Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) and Radeon Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) fully support IE9's ability to hand off computationally-intensive tasks, such as the rendering of HTML5 graphics, to specialized hardware on the user's desktop.

"Better applications, video playback, gaming and general Web page interactivity will define the next-generation Web experience," said John Taylor, AMD's director for Client Product and Software Marketing.

By gearing Radeon GPUs and Fusion APUs for IE9, Taylor said AMD is "helping users unlock the full potential of their PCs" and giving them access to next generation online graphics rendered with technology such as HTML5 and DirectX 11.

Microsoft officials said IE9's ability to leverage client-side hardware will help bring online games and graphics onto par with desktop apps.

"For too long the Web we all enjoy has been relegated to second-class status," said Ryan Gavin, Microsoft's senior director for Internet Explorer. "Compared to the rich, dynamic, and fast experiences we get with native apps, the Web today is relatively flat. That changes with Internet Explorer 9," said Gavin.

Microsoft formally launched IE9 Monday at the South by Southwest (SXSW) tech and media festival in Austin, Texas. In addition to support for hardware acceleration, it includes a number of new features, such as a slimmed-down interface and better privacy controls.

With IE9, users will find a design that's less cluttered with toolbars, icons, and controls. While most of the features from previous versions are still present, many are confined to the background as Microsoft sought to create a browser that puts more emphasis on displaying Web content rather than on its own interface.

In terms of privacy, IE9 adds a feature Microsoft calls Tracking Protection Lists, which allows users to control how Web sites share their viewing histories with other Web sites. Tracking Protection Lists works in concert with software from Web privacy organizations such as Abine, Privacy Choice, TRUSTe, and EasyList.

IE9 also lets users "pin" their favorite sites to the Windows 7 taskbar—a feature that could also be a boon to Web publishers. IE9 is now available as a free download from Microsoft's Web site.