ATI Technologies head office in Markham.

The name ATI Technologies Inc., a former jewel of the Canadian technology industry, is poised to disappear from laptops and graphics computer chips as its owner looks to consolidate its own brand name.

Processor giant Advanced Micro Devices Inc. of California said Monday it will begin to phase out the ATI brand before the end of this year, as it rolls out a slate of new products that will incorporate both microprocessor and graphics technology on the same chip.

“There was a great deal of deliberation done on this,” said AMD spokesperson David Erskine.

“As a company we’ve been wanting to move to fewer brands because that allows us to focus better.”

Erskine agreed that the ATI name still holds significance for those who care about computer graphics. “It’s synonymous with a great graphics experience.”

The change, which comes four years after AMD bought ATI, brought chatter to the many blogs and Internet sites devoted to computer graphics and chip technology.

“It makes sense from a marketing point of view and AMD’s reasons seem valid enough,” read one comment from a professed gamer on anandtech.com. “However…it’s a bit sad to see such an established brand removed from the market for good.”

ATI Technologies was founded as a one-man operation in 1985 by K.Y. Ho, an immigrant from Hong Kong.

By 1995, ATI had grown to become the world’s biggest maker of 3D graphics cards for personal computers, with sales exceeding $1 billion annually.

Along the way, the company battled rival chip maker Nvidia and was prone to the many ups and downs of the consumer technology market.

The Markham-based firm also drew scrutiny from stock market regulators over allegations of insider trading. Ho and his wife successfully fought the charges, while other company executives settled with the Ontario Securities Commission through the mid-2000s.

In October, 2006, ATI shareholders voted overwhelmingly in favour of the $5.6 billion (U.S.) takeover by Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD. The deal came about one year after Ho stepped away from the company.

AMD said that all existing products will retain the current ATI brand. But with the launch of its next generation of video cards, due by the end of 2010, all the company’s video properties will be rebranded AMD. The names of popular individual lines Radeon and FirePro will not change.

“I think the company was just waiting for the right time,” said Matthew Murray, managing editor of ExtremeTech.com.

That time seems to have come, with ADM surpassing Nvidia in graphic chip shipments last quarter.

“The technology speaks for itself. The company’s latest graphics card has been very good, very fast, very powerful and cost efficient,” Murray said.

The change will be visible to consumers, said Shane Schick, editor in chief of IT World Canada, which publishes Computer World Canada and CIO Canada magazines.

“A lot of laptops sold today will have the ATI logo. When AMD is on there instead it will create more brand recognition. It’s also easier to manage one brand than two,” Schick said.

“I think in Canada because of ATI’s success we still have a bit more pride and concern over what the name stood for. But given the industry consolidation it’s not realistic to think that would continue indefinitely.”