# ATI CW16800-A

> gpu manufactured by ATI in 1986

**Wikidata**: [Q126721507](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q126721507)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/ati-cw16800-a

## Summary
The ATI CW16800-A is a graphics processing unit (GPU) manufactured by ATI Technologies. Released on August 4, 1986, it is a specialized electronic circuit designed to function as a graphics accelerator. This chip was fabricated using an 800 nm lithography process and features a die area of 90 square millimeters.

## Key Facts
- **Instance Of:** Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
- **Manufacturer:** ATI Technologies
- **Release Date:** August 4, 1986
- **Fabrication Process:** 800 nm lithography process
- **Die Area:** 90 square millimetres
- **Function:** Graphics accelerator / Specialized electronic circuit
- **External Reference:** Detailed specifications are available via TechPowerUp

## FAQs
**When was the ATI CW16800-A released?**
The ATI CW16800-A was released on August 4, 1986.

**Who manufactured the ATI CW16800-A?**
This graphics processing unit was manufactured by ATI Technologies.

**What is the physical size and process technology of the ATI CW16800-A?**
The chip has a die area of 90 square millimetres and was built using an 800 nm lithography fabrication method.

**What is the primary function of the ATI CW16800-A?**
As a graphics processing unit, it serves as a specialized electronic circuit and graphics accelerator designed to accelerate the creation and rendering of images.

## Why It Matters
The ATI CW16800-A represents an early iteration of graphics processing technology manufactured by ATI Technologies (a predecessor to modern AMD Radeon GPUs). Released in the mid-1980s, it exemplifies the initial hardware efforts to offload graphics rendering tasks from the main CPU to a dedicated coprocessor. Its existence highlights the evolution of fabrication technologies, utilizing what is now considered a large 800 nm lithography process. Chips like the CW16800-A paved the way for the sophisticated, parallel-processing architectures found in modern discrete graphics cards and integrated SoCs.

## Notable For
- **Early GPU Architecture:** Being a specific model of graphics processing unit produced in the 1980s, distinct from modern units which typically possess shader pipelines and texture mapping units.
- **Specific Fabrication:** Utilizing an 800 nm lithography process, a manufacturing standard significantly larger than the nanometer scales used in contemporary semiconductors.
- **ATI Lineage:** Serving as part of the hardware lineage of ATI Technologies, a major entity in the graphics industry known later for chips like the Xenos (Xbox 360) and Hollywood (Nintendo Wii).

## Body
### Definition and Classification
The ATI CW16800-A is classified as a **graphics processing unit (GPU)**. In the broader context of computer hardware, a GPU is a specialized electronic circuit designed to accelerate the creation and rendering of images, videos, and animations. Functionally, the ATI CW16800-A acts as a **graphics accelerator** and a type of **coprocessor**. This means it operates in conjunction with a computer's main processor to handle specific graphical tasks, operating as a vector processor designed to work on arrays of data simultaneously.

### Technical Specifications
According to structured data and technical sources, the ATI CW16800-A is defined by the following physical and operational properties:
*   **Inception:** The chip was officially introduced on **August 4, 1986**.
*   **Die Area:** The physical surface area of the chip is **90 square millimetres**.
*   **Lithography:** The unit was manufactured using the **800 nm lithography process**.
*   **Manufacturer:** The entity responsible for its creation is **ATI Technologies**.

### Context within Graphics Hardware
While the ATI CW16800-A is a specific hardware instance, it belongs to the broader class of GPUs which can exist as discrete graphics cards or integrated parts of a system-on-a-chip (SoC). Unlike modern GPUs which may include complex internal structures like shader pipelines, texture mapping units, and L2 cache, the CW16800-A is representative of the earlier generation of the technology. It is distinct from the graphics card itself; it is the component processor that performs the graphics calculations.

### Manufacturer Background
The manufacturer, **ATI Technologies**, is a prominent designer of graphics chips. While the CW16800-A is an earlier model, the company later became well-known for producing other significant GPUs such as the Xenos chip for the Xbox 360 and the Hollywood chip for the Nintendo Wii. ATI Technologies is recognized as a major brand alongside others like NVIDIA (GeForce) and Intel, playing a critical role in the development of visual computing hardware.