ATI Technologies, the world’s biggest supplier of standalone graphics processing units (GPUs) said Thursday it expects first computers and monitors that support the new DisplayPort interfaces to emerge in early 2007. However, the company did not specify any timeframes concerning DisplayPort logic support by GPUs.

The standard, which will serve as a primary interconnection between monitors and personal computers (PCs), was ratified only recently, which means that the first graphics cards and, perhaps, displays will need a special chip that transmits signals according to DisplayPort standards.

ATI’s Mazen Salloum said Thursday that several makers of transmitters are developing appropriate chips now and he expected to see the actual transmitter products later in 2006. It is highly likely, according to Mr. Salloum, that computer makers – especially those, who specifically declared support for DisplayPort: Dell, HP and Lenovo – will adopt DisplayPort interface early in 2007.

The spokesman for ATI did not specify when the company plans to integrate a DisplayPort transmitter into its GPUs, however, he said “when it makes sense”. The firm incorporated support for dual-link DVI interface into its Radeon X1000 lineup late last year, when only one or two monitors along with some specific applications used the standard.