Latte (graphics chip)

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Latte
Nintendo-Wii-U-MCM.jpg
An illustration of the Wii U MCM without heat spreader. The largest chip is the "Latte" GPU co-designed by AMD and Nintendo and manufactured by TSMC. The other chips are the "Espresso" CPU (smaller chip) from IBM and an unknown chip (tiny) from Renesas.
Produced From 2012 to Present
Designed by AMD and Nintendo
Common manufacturer(s)
Max. CPU clock rate 550 Mhz[1][2] 
Min. feature size 40 nm
Application Wii U
Predecessor Hollywood

Latte is the codename of the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and I/O chip used in Nintendo's Wii U video game console.[3] It was designed by Nintendo and AMD, and is currently being produced using a 40 nm advanced CMOS process. The Latte chip resides together with a CPU from IBM on a MCM manufactured by Renesas. It was revealed at E3 2011 in June 2011 and released in November 2012.


Design [edit]

An illustration of the Wii U MCM with heat spreader. The markings indicate that its designed by Nintendo, and its components are made by AMD, IBM and Renesas. It also says that it was assembled in Japan, the 26th week of 2012.

AMD and Nintendo have revealed that the Latte graphics chip is based on the "Radeon HD" series of GPU's. Although there have been several reports of the GPU being based on the R700 family of AMD GPU's, die shots reveal a completely customized design which resembles no existing GPU on the market today. It is the largest die on the Wii U's MCM. The chip contains an Audio DSP, eDRAM, components for Wii Backward Compatibility,

Specifications [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Leadbetter, Richard (29 November 2012). "Wii U has 1.24GHz CPU, 550MHz graphics core - report". Retrieved 8 February 2013. 
  2. ^ Shilov, Anton (29 November 2012). "Detailed Specifications of Nintendo Wii U Revealed by Technology Enthusiasts.". Retrieved 8 February 2013. 
  3. ^ rwilliamson (February 4, 2013). "Looking at the Wii U Graphics Processor". http://www.chipworks.com. Retrieved 8 February 2013.