AMD Ready To Fight in 2012, Says CEO
AMD CEO Rory Read mentioned "thin and light" in his 2012 attack speech to analysts.
AMD CEO Rory Read is putting on the boxing gloves and preparing for a fight in 2012. It won't be done in the boxing ring, but in the consumer arena spanning desktops, laptops and tablets. His secret weapon seemingly won't be a right hook either, but a "thin and light" assault that will surely hit Intel beneath the belt.
Read used AMD's first analyst day since 2010 to present his challenge to contenders, revealing a focus on the fast-growing mobile computing segment. But you won't see AMD taking a dip in the smartphone pool. Oh no sir, that's too crowded as it is with Intel making its Medfield-based entry and ARM seemingly ruling the mobile market on the SoC level.
"We're going to double down on client and mobility," he said. "I'm not suggesting we dive into smartphones, a heavily crowded space with low margins. I'm going to focus on client mobility, thin and light."
Thin and light probably refers to the rumored "ultrathin" form factor we've heard about for several months. The move to push a new form factor seemingly indicates that AMD is still out to compete with Intel on some level, but a spokesman for AMD said back in November 2011 that the company is shifting away from competing with the long-time processor rival Intel. Instead, AMD will dump its competitive energies into its mobile assault, cloud computing, and entry-level offerings in developing countries.
"We're at an inflection point," said AMD spokesman Mike Silverman. "We will all need to let go of the old 'AMD versus Intel' mind-set, because it won't be about that anymore."
At the same time in a separate report, Read announced that he was slashing 10-percent of AMD's workforce to save about $20 million in annual operating costs. Presently AMD sits at around 19-percent of the overall processor market share, down from a 23-percent share in 2006. However the company doesn't plan to push the envelope with new technology in 2012. Instead AMD rather focus on improving its overall execution.
"We don't want to be on the bleeding edge of technology where we're leading in with our chin and we don't execute cleanly and that breaks down trust," he told analysts.
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Reuters reports that Read gestured with his hands and delivered a presentation with the energy of a motivational speaker. He clearly seemed excited about the possibilities that 2012 will bring to the struggling chip manufacturer.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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phamhlam Really? I think Intel is dominating. Espicially with >60% market share. Just look on the fourms. Even though AMD gives you more core and a cheaper price, many people still recommends Intel. i5 2500k & i7 2600k FTW!!!Reply -
NightLight in other words: you lost in the high end race, and you know it. don't count out intel in the mobile sector either, i suspect they've got it covered. The only thing I respect amd for is keeping prices in check.Reply
And I admit, I am biased for having amd after amd chip failing on me after all these years, wich could be just bad luck. (and I have never overclocked) -
sarcasm phamhlamReally? I think Intel is dominating. Espicially with >60% market share. Just look on the fourms. Even though AMD gives you more core and a cheaper price, many people still recommends Intel. i5 2500k & i7 2600k FTW!!!Reply
No, I still recommend AMD for lower end to mid-low computing needs. For example, I'd rather have a Phenom II X4 over an i3, or an APU over Intel Atom for HTPC. However, once you get to the upper range, then yes I agree an i5 and i7 are worthy of our money. -
ern88 I think AMD should re think whatever strategy they have. And start revamping and re thinking on ways to come back to the desktop fight with Haymakers. I went with Intel for a new processor after I saw Bulldozer sink past it tracks on release day. They have to focus on keeping the graphics department on the straight and narrow and get the CPU de-railer fixed and chugging again!!!!Reply -
verbalizer we hear ya talking AMD, I guess we'll see.Reply
I guess this means Piledriver is much ado about nothing as well.? -
spasmolytic46 Doesn't sound like AMD plans on competing with Intel on desktops at all. It's a shame really, My first AMD processor was a k6-2. Man that thing was a beast... I'm gonna miss those guys.Reply -
bavman sarcasmNo, I still recommend AMD for lower end to mid-low computing needs. For example, I'd rather have a Phenom II X4 over an i3, or an APU over Intel Atom for HTPC. However, once you get to the upper range, then yes I agree an i5 and i7 are worthy of our money.Reply
Really? Even though the i3-2100 still dominates the p2 x4 at pretty much everything? -
salgado18 ReplyReally? I think Intel is dominating. Espicially with >60% market share. Just look on the fourms. Even though AMD gives you more core and a cheaper price, many people still recommends Intel. i5 2500k & i7 2600k FTW!!!
You do know he is talking about mobile, don't you? 2500k and 2600k are desktop processors that AMD admited won't try to overtake with technology alone. And in mobile space, I only recommend Intel if I can't find an AMD alternative, as many times the extra cores will help, and when it won't nobody will miss an i3/i5. AND if anything 3D at all appears on screen, the Intel platform is doomed to crawl.
I firmly believe AMD is on the right track for efficient mobile notebook platforms, especially after the OpenCL article from Toms. Yes, Bulldozer seems to be a failure, but just because the ecosystem it tried to enter is not ready for it (mid-heavy threaded software). But I have faith in them, and exciting times are still to come (from both manufacturers).