Aerial shot of the main lobby (click for full sized image)

 

Conference Rooms overlooking the lobby (click for full sized image)

After waiting for a few minutes, along came Chris Hook who pleasantly greeted me and introduced himself. Upon introduction, we headed off to the building next door, this is where ATI assembles their prototype reference products – motherboards and graphic cards before they go into production.

ATIs R&D plant located conveniently next door to their HQ offices (click for full sized image)

 

A quick look at their prototype assembly line (click for full sized image)

 

Same section of prototype assembly line, different angle (click for full sized image)

 

As expected, I wasn’t able to capture any close-up shots of any products being produced, but let me tell you that there are some really exciting products coming out soon!!!!
We then proceeded to their hardware QA section. It is here were 2 things happen. One, they examine and perform QA on their prototype products and two, they examine all the RMA cards that come back to ATI. Each RAM card gets examined thoroughly so that ATI can fully determine if there is a problem in design and correct that, if needed, in future releases. There is no perfect company, but seeing ATI hard at work perfecting their mistakes on current product lines shows a great commitment to excellence!

Here we see QA being performed on some ATI graphics cards (click for full sized image)

 

We then proceeded back to the main HQ offices and started touring the building. Our first stop was their main level cafeteria. Let me tell you….it was HUGE!!! Complete with a GameCube console in the back and a “gitz” table (or soccer table for some), employees can have lunch while letting loose on the soccer table.

Inside look at ATIs cafeteria (click for full sized image)

 

After Chris made me hungry by showing me food….we proceeded deeper within the building. Our first stop was their automated Catalyst Software Suite test facilities. Let me tell you, I don’ think I have ever seen so many PC’s in one room!!! There were approximately 600 computers running beta Catalyst drivers on a continual basis 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After a set criterion, each system would generate a failure rate based on what it was testing. It is from there that ATI then refines the flaws and re-runs the test until the failure rate is eliminated or brought down to meet their high quality driver standards. On the opposite side of the same floor, I was brought into the area were the manual software testing was located. It is here were the actual testers go further deeper into the testing phase by testing particulars.

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