AMD has been in the embedded market for many years. In the recent past, with some exceptions of course, our customer base has developed embedded systems that closely resemble a PC or server – like storage, telecom infrastructure, thin clients, and of course single board computer boards. One of the reasons x86 has been so successful in the embedded market is because there is vast software infrastructure support and that provides a lot of efficiencies.   This class of systems has not required the type of software development tools now being offered by Sage.

So why is today’s announcement so important, you ask?

The new Sage IDE and SmartProbe open the door for non-PC software development and this means the range of systems that can now take advantage of AMD’s embedded platforms is greatly expanded.  With the Sage tools, non-PC targeted software can be developed at a manageable time and cost, similar to the efficiencies x86 developers enjoy. Software developers can create and edit bootloaders, drivers, and applications on their host PC and debug them symbolically on the actual target system with complete control over the debug process and with all the capabilities software developers need. With this all in one development environment, the target system does not need to have PC graphics for output or a USB/PS2 keyboard/mouse for input, and all the capabilities and features of AMD’s processors and chipsets can productively be utilized. And, all of this capability exists in one tool that was specifically designed for AMD platforms.

This is a truly great product and we expect more from Sage in the future with more features and more capabilities.

James Edwards is a senior product marketing manager for AMD Embedded Solutions. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.