AA+ Chipset
Planned low-cost AGA extension, cancelled with Commodore's bankruptcy.
The AA+ chipset was a planned low-cost Amiga-compatible chipset announced by Commodore International in 1992. It was designed as a pragmatic, cost-reduced extension of the Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA), intended for budget Amiga systems such as an A1200-like computer or CD32-like console. AA+ existed only on paper and was cancelled when Commodore folded.
- Transistor count per chip
- unknown
- Pixel clock
- unknown
- Maximum chip ram
- unknown
Lore & Background
In 1991 Commodore realized the cost of the Advanced Amiga Architecture (AAA) chipset was too high, so they postponed it until 1994 and designed AGA as a stopgap. Commodore decided to design two custom chips: AAA for high-end computers and AA+ for low-end ones, breaking their habit of a single chip for both markets. At Devcon in Orlando, Florida in January 1993, Commodore VP of Engineering Lew Eggebrecht stated that AA+ would be a more profitable version of AA, fixing issues like the serial port, high-density floppy support, bandwidth for 72 Hz screens, and adding chunky pixel modes. According to Dave Haynie, AA+ only existed on paper and actual design never started due to Commodore's lack of money. Like AAA and Hombre, Commodore planned to use AA+ with the Acutiator system that Haynie designed. A few years later, Access Innovations adopted the AA+ name for its BoXeR AGA compatible chipset.
Reader's Guide
AA+ is notable as a concrete example of Commodore's late-stage attempt to segment the Amiga market with a cost-reduced chipset, rather than relying on a single design for all systems. Its cancellation, along with AAA and Hombre, marked the end of Commodore's custom chip development. The chipset's specifications show a pragmatic approach: it was built on AGA foundations for compatibility, reduced custom chips from three to two, and added features like 16-bit chunky pixel mode, 1.76 MB HD floppy support, and FIFO serial ports. However, its blitter remained 16-bit to keep costs down, and 8-bit chunky mode was omitted in favor of planar 256-color mode. The requirement for at least 4 MB of RAM and a 68020 CPU for chunky pixel support reflected the limitations of the era. AA+ never progressed beyond paper, and its legacy is as a 'what if' in Amiga history, later reused by a third party for a compatible chipset.
Did You Know?
- AA+ was announced in 1992 but existed only on paper and never entered design due to Commodore's lack of money.
- AA+ would have reduced Amiga custom chips from three to two.
- AA+ supported 16-bit chunky pixel mode at up to 640x480 resolution, but 256-color mode remained planar.
- AA+ would have fully supported 1.76 MB HD floppy drives without workarounds, unlike earlier Amigas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the AA+ Chipset?
The AA+ Chipset was a budget-oriented graphics chipset that Commodore International announced in 1992 as a stripped-down successor to AGA. It was designed to bring Amiga-class graphics to cheaper machines, but it never left the planning stage.
Was the AA+ Chipset ever shipped in a real computer?
No. The AA+ existed only as a paper specification and was cancelled outright when Commodore folded, so no retail system ever carried it.
What kind of machines was AA+ supposed to power?
Commodore intended it for low-cost platforms such as a budget A1200-style workstation or a CD32-like game console, where cutting silicon costs was the top priority.
How does AA+ differ from standard AGA?
Rather than adding new features, AA+ was conceived as a pragmatic, cost-reduced variant of the Advanced Graphics Architecture, trimming functionality to hit a lower price point while keeping basic Amiga compatibility.
Why did the AA+ Chipset project die?
Commodore International's bankruptcy in the mid-1990s eliminated the company before the design could be finalized, meaning the AA+ never advanced beyond its initial announcement.
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