Early this week, Lucid announced its arming video card manufacturers with the new Unity graphics board architecture for the HYDRALOGIX engine (previously known as HYDRA). Now graphics board vendors for the first time can combine a single HYDRALOGIX 200 real time distributed processor with any single NVIDIA or ATI GPU, creating an affordable, flexible multi-GPU-ready graphics card that can make any motherboard a high performance gaming system.

Gamers and high performance PC enthusiasts will have even more options to configure multi-GPU systems, which until recently were limited to vendor-exclusive architectures or HYDRALOGIX equipped motherboards. And mainstream graphics users can now buy even a $99 graphics card and upgrade their system in the future with the brand graphics card of their choice.

“The Unity architecture provides a win-win situation for the market and for consumers,” said Offir Remez, Lucid President. “Graphics board vendors can increase the total market for multi-GPU computing from the low end to the high end. And as a consumer, why wouldn’t you choose to buy a graphics card with HYDRALOGIX on board? You only get more!”

The benefits of the UNITY architecture for HYDRALOGIX include:

Card Manufacturers:

• Create multi-vendor-multi-GPU upgradeable cards by integrating a single, low-cost HYDRALOGIX chip
• Allow their customers to couple a UNITY type VGA with any additional existing or new VGA from any vendor on Intel or AMD motherboards
• Create differentiated products by using any brand or GPU model, mixing and matching capabilities, power consumption and price points
• Easy upgrade with additional cards

Consumers:

• Add HYDRALOGIX multi-GPU graphics capabilities to existing motherboards
• Run multiple NVIDIA and/or ATI GPUs on any motherboard
• Upgrade system performance simply by leveraging any existing GPUs by coupling with a new UNITY based VGA.
• Combine a low cost graphics card with another for increased performance, or turn up the volume with multiple high end graphics card of choice
• Combine both an AMD and NVIDIA GPU to enjoy the benefits of both graphics features and performance

System Builders:

• Flexibly design custom systems at multiple price/performance targets
• Save costs with royalty-free alternative to vendor-specific multi-GPU graphics architectures

Jon Peddie of Jon Peddie Research says “The market for multi-GPU systems has shown continual growth even in a down economy. Lucid’s expansion of its HYDRALOGIX technology to the graphics board further expands options for OEMs, ODMs and consumers, and should provide additional momentum to the growth of reasonably priced, high-powered gaming systems.”

Ted Chen, TUL CEO at TUL, maker of the 1st Unity architecture based VGA – the PowerColor Evolution says: “Lucid’s graphics card implementation of HYDRALOGIX creates new marketing opportunities for graphics card vendors, and we’re proud to be first to offer this technology integrated into our graphics cards. With more options for consumers, we are looking forward to continued healthy growth for PC gaming technology.”

Pricing & Availability

The Lucid UNITY architecture for graphics board with HYDRALOGIX 200 engine are both available now to graphics board OEMs. With multiple configurations of the HYDRALOGIX engine, vendors can provide nearly limitless combinations of GPUs to meet a variety of target audiences and price points.

Consumer graphics boards are expected to be available for the holiday buying season 2010 at accessible prices under $199.