AMD plans layoffs

[nikimcbee]

http://news.yahoo.com/amd-plans-layo...2--sector.html

Like its larger rival Intel, AMD was caught flat-footed in recent years with the emergence and fast growth of mobile devices like Apple's iPad.
Tablets and smartphones, once considered a niche market by Intel and others, are fast gaining consumer acceptance and eating into the sales of laptops and desktop computers, while a slowing global economy is dampening spending in general.
On Thursday, AMD warned that its third-quarter revenue likely fell about 10 percent from the previous quarter. AMD is due to report its financial results on October 18.
AMD and Intel have been slow to adapt their PC chip designs to mobile. But while Intel has poured its massive resources into efforts to catch up to smartphone chipmakers like Qualcomm, AMD has yet to define a clear mobile strategy.

If these guys don't have a mobile (cell-phone chip) chip, that is some serious misplanning.

[JU_88]

Poor old AMD, theyve done great things over the past decade and im glad they ve been around to rival Intel, CPU development might have been much slower without Intel and AMD to battle it out.
But recenltly its clear that AMD has been losing the plot a little bit in terms of CPUs Intel have them outclassed, it seems to have gone down hill for them since they aquired ATI, maybe they are trying to do too much at once.

[nikimcbee]

I haven't paid close attention to them (AMD) the last few years, but the last time I checked they were way behind intel in the R&D department. But that was 2 years ago.

[JU_88]

Not much has changed....

[nikimcbee]

New 32 nanometer die shrink designed to reduce leakage for improved efficiency, increased clock rate headroom and better thermals

http://www.amd.com/us/products/deskt...uct-brief.aspx

Ah, this is what I was thinking of. The last time I checked, they were having a tough time with the 32nm architechure.b They must have fixed their manufacturing issues?

What in the hell am I talking about?


http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/dis...cess_Tech.html

notice the date, 2009!

[the_tyrant]

Intel is so much more powerful than AMD because of their fabs.

AMD no longer has fabs (aka, the factories where the chips are made).


The die shrinking is done by those factories, Intel runs their own, thus they can manage the production and the design together, whereas AMD contracts out the production to others. Because intel runs the best fabs in the business, their CPUs are always done better than AMD.

I personally think that AMD should sell off their x86 patents, to maybe IBM or Qualcomm, and just stay in graphics alone.

[JU_88]

Originally Posted by the_tyrant

I personally think that AMD should sell off their x86 patents, to maybe IBM or Qualcomm, and just stay in graphics alone.

Yeah, unless they have something amazing up their sleeve, which i doubt, that would kind of make sense.
Although Id really hate to see intel with a monopoly in the long run.

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by the_tyrant

Intel is so much more powerful than AMD because of their fabs.

AMD no longer has fabs (aka, the factories where the chips are made).


The die shrinking is done by those factories, Intel runs their own, thus they can manage the production and the design together, whereas AMD contracts out the production to others. Because intel runs the best fabs in the business, their CPUs are always done better than AMD.

I personally think that AMD should sell off their x86 patents, to maybe IBM or Qualcomm, and just stay in graphics alone.

Yes to all of this, plus intel is in the middle of a major fab technology upgrade/ expansion.

[JU_88]

heh, just remebered this lankey black dude I used work with on the test counter of second hand electronics retailer -he was a die hard intel fanboy and used to proclaim (in jest) that AMD stood for "Another Mashup Desktop"
This was during the flakey Athlon XP period of the early 00'ties with dodgy Ali Magik and VIA chipsets.... so he wasn't entirley incorrect. With the exception of the 939 socket Athlon 64s in 2005 - which completey burried Intels 'Pentium' brand forever - AMD has always been the underdog.
Ill always remember 2005 as being the only year I can remember, where the underdog became king of the hill, at least in the home computing market anyway.
I had always stuck with AMD on a 'more bang per buck' basis, but I had no choice but to switch to intel when core duo came along, they were damn good CPUs and testimony to this, is how well they can still cope with most home & office computing needs today. My E8500 has done me proud in the 4 years I have had it, if it wasnt for 3d rendering I wouldnt even bother to replace it - since it handles everything else just fine.
All the same Ill be sad to see the back of AMD's cpus if they end up pulling out of the market.

[the_tyrant]

Here is a good article on AMD's troubles:
http://www.zdnet.com/intels-moores-l...ts-7000005781/

Intel is pushing the limit to places that we have never, ever seen before.

AMD is FAR behind, and as the article says, playing in the semiconductor field requires some DEEP pockets. Intel can barely afford to keep pushing, AMD simply cannot afford to keep pushing forward innovation.

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by the_tyrant

Here is a good article on AMD's troubles:
http://www.zdnet.com/intels-moores-l...ts-7000005781/

Intel is pushing the limit to places that we have never, ever seen before.

AMD is FAR behind, and as the article says, playing in the semiconductor field requires some DEEP pockets. Intel can barely afford to keep pushing, AMD simply cannot afford to keep pushing forward innovation.

Great article, but I can't comment on it.

Since AMD isn't manufacturing anymore, I wonder who they will whack? Normally, you just close a fab (old ones- 8 inch) and get rid of fab techs, but they are fabless. I wonder how management-heavy they are? Time to thin the HR herd.

[nikimcbee]

Most of the RAM industry has already closed their 8 inch wafer fabs, converting them to 12 inch fabs. (see micron, hynix, etc)