Editing ATI Technologies (section)

==History==
<noinclude>[[File:Early ATI logo.svg|thumb|ATI Technologies logo until 2003]]</noinclude>
Lee Ka Lau,<ref>[http://www.giving.utoronto.ca/chairs/showchairs.asp?ID=19 University of Toronto Division of University Advancement page] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210144420/http://www.giving.utoronto.ca/chairs/showchairs.asp?ID=19 |date=December 10, 2008 }}. Retrieved February 28, 2008.</ref> Francis Lau, Benny Lau, and Kwok Yuen Ho<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ati.com/designpartners/media/bios/kyho.html |title=Partner Resources |publisher=Ati.com |date=February 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021103215930/http://www.ati.com/designpartners/media/bios/kyho.html |access-date=23 November 2019 |archive-date=November 3, 2002}}</ref> founded ATI in 1985 as Array Technology Inc.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.businessweek.com/it100/2005/company/ATYT.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051211204408/http://www.businessweek.com/it100/2005/company/ATYT.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 11, 2005 |title=The Information Technology 100: 90: ATI Technologies |year=2005 |website=BusinessWeek |access-date=2014-08-19 |quote=The company was incorporated in August 1985 as Array Technology Inc. and changed its name to Array Technologies Inc. in September 1985. Further, it changed its name to ATI Technologies Inc. in December 1985.}}
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Working primarily in the [[original equipment manufacturer|OEM]] field, ATI produced integrated graphics cards for PC manufacturers such as [[IBM]] and [[Commodore International|Commodore]]. By 1987, ATI had grown into an independent graphics-card retailer, introducing EGA Wonder and VGA Wonder card product lines that year.<ref>[https://www.amd.com/us-en/Weblets/0,,7832_10554,00.html?redir=AAMD04#1980 History of AMD at AMD.com]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012174217/http://www.amd.com/us-en/Weblets/0%2C%2C7832_10554%2C00.html?redir=AAMD04|date=October 12, 2007}}.</ref> In the early nineties, they released products able to process graphics without the CPU: in May 1991, the Mach8, in 1992 the Mach32, which offered improved memory bandwidth and [[graphical user interface|GUI]] acceleration. ATI Technologies Inc. went public in 1993, with shares listed on [[NASDAQ]] and on the [[Toronto Stock Exchange]].

[[File:Atitechnologiessiliconvalley.jpg|thumb|right|ATI's former Silicon Valley office at 4555 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA]]
[[File:ATI Hercules Card 1986.xcf|thumb|right|ATI "Graphics Solution Rev 3" from 1985/1986, supporting [[Hercules Graphics Card|Hercules]] graphics. As the [[Printed circuit board|PCB]] reveals, the layout dates from 1985, whereas the marking on the central chip ''CW16800-A'' says "8639"—meaning that chip was manufactured in week 39, 1986. Notice [[Motorola 6845|UM6845E CRT controller]]. This card uses the [[Industry Standard Architecture|ISA 8-bit interface]].]]

[[File:ATI Wonder.jpg|thumb|ATI VGA Wonder with 256 KB RAM]]

In 1994, the Mach64 accelerator debuted, powering the Graphics Xpression and Graphics Pro Turbo, offering hardware support for [[YUV]]-to-[[RGB]] [[colour space]] conversion in addition to hardware zoom; early techniques of hardware-based video acceleration.

ATI introduced its first combination of 2D and [[3D computer graphics|3D]] accelerator under the name [[ATI Rage|3D Rage]]. This chip was based on the Mach 64, but it featured elemental 3D acceleration. The ATI Rage line powered almost the entire range of ATI graphics products. In particular, the [[ATI Rage|Rage Pro]] was one of the first viable 2D-plus-3D alternatives to [[3dfx Interactive|3dfx]]'s 3D-only Voodoo chipset. 3D acceleration in the Rage line advanced from the basic functionality within the initial 3D Rage to a more advanced [[DirectX|DirectX 6.0]] accelerator in 1999 [[ATI Rage|Rage 128]].

The [[All-in-Wonder]] product line, introduced in 1996, was the first combination of integrated graphics chip with [[TV tuner card]] and the first chip that enabled display of computer graphics on a TV set.<ref>[https://www.amd.com/us-en/Weblets/0,,7832_10554,00.html?redir=AAMD04#1990 History of AMD – 1996 at AMD.com]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012174217/http://www.amd.com/us-en/Weblets/0%2C%2C7832_10554%2C00.html?redir=AAMD04|date=October 12, 2007}}.</ref> The cards featured 3D acceleration powered by ATI's 3D Rage '''II''', 64-bit 2D performance, TV-quality video acceleration, analogue video capture, TV tuner functionality, flicker-free TV-out and stereo TV audio reception.

ATI entered the mobile computing sector by introducing 3D-graphics acceleration to laptops in 1996. The Mobility product line had to meet requirements different from those of desktop PCs, such as minimized power usage, reduced heat output, [[Transition Minimized Differential Signaling|TMDS]] output capabilities for laptop screens, and maximized integration. In 1997, ATI acquired [[Tseng Labs]]'s graphics assets, which included 40 engineers.

The [[Radeon]] line of graphics products was unveiled in 2000. The initial Radeon [[graphics processing unit]] offered an all-new design with DirectX 7.0 3D acceleration, video acceleration, and 2D acceleration. Technology developed for a specific Radeon generation could be built in varying levels of features and performance in order to provide products suited for the entire market range, from high-end to budget to mobile versions.

In 2000, ATI acquired [[ArtX]], which engineered the [[GameCube#Graphics Processing Unit and System Chipset|Flipper]] graphics chip used in the [[GameCube]] video game console. They also created a modified version of the chip (codenamed [[Hollywood (graphics chip)|Hollywood]]) for the successor of the GameCube, the [[Wii]]. [[Microsoft]] contracted ATI to design the graphics core (codenamed [[Xenos (graphics chip)|Xenos]]) for the [[Xbox 360]]. Later in 2005, ATI acquired [[Terayon's]] cable modem [[silicon intellectual property]], strengthening their lead in the consumer digital television market.<ref>[http://apps.ati.com/ir/PressReleaseText.asp?compid=105421&releaseID=671557 press release] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050313181259/http://apps.ati.com/ir/PressReleaseText.asp?compid=105421&releaseID=671557 |date=March 13, 2005 }}</ref> K. Y. Ho remained as Chairman of the Board until he retired in November 2005. [[David E. Orton|Dave Orton]] replaced him as the President and CEO of the organization.

On July 24, 2006, a joint announcement revealed that [[AMD]] would [[mergers and acquisitions|acquire]] ATI in a deal valued at $5.6 billion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2488/000119312509036235/d10k.htm |publisher=U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission |title=AMD 2008 10-K SEC Filling. Pg 105 |date=24 February 2009 |access-date=26 November 2011}}</ref> The acquisition consideration closed on October 25, 2006,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ir.ati.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=105421&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=921365&highlight= |title=Press Release |publisher=Ir.ati.com |access-date=February 19, 2011 |archive-date=December 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226134908/http://ir.ati.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=105421&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=921365&highlight= |url-status=dead}}</ref> and included over $2 billion financed from a loan and 56 million shares of AMD stock.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/VirtualPressRoom/0,,51_104_543~113656,00.html |title=AMD page |publisher=Amd.com |date=February 10, 2011 |access-date=February 19, 2011}}</ref> ATI's operations became part of the AMD Graphics Product Group (GPG),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/InvestorRelations/0,,51_306_15086,00.html |title=AMD 2007 Analyst Day page |publisher=Amd.com |access-date=February 19, 2011}}</ref> and ATI's CEO Dave Orton became the Executive Vice President of Visual and Media Businesses at AMD until his resignation in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/InvestorRelations/0,,51_306_14668,00.html |title=AMD 2006 December Analyst Day page |publisher=Amd.com |access-date=February 19, 2011}}</ref> The top-level management was reorganized with the Senior Vice President and General Manager, and the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Consumer Electronics Group, both of whom would report to the CEO of AMD.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/AboutAMD/0,,51_52_570,00.html |title=Corporate Information – Executive Biographies at |publisher=Amd.com |date=February 14, 2011 |access-date=February 19, 2011}}</ref> On 30 August 2010, John Trikola announced that AMD would retire the ATI brand for its graphics chipsets in favour of the AMD name.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://news.softpedia.com/news/AMD-Really-Dropping-the-ATI-Brand-154168.shtml |title=AMD Decides to Drop the ATI Brand – Softpedia |publisher=News.softpedia.com |access-date=February 19, 2011}}</ref>