AMD reportedly will stick with its x86 chips as it moves into the tablet space, dashing rumors of a licensing deal with ARM.
Advanced Micro
Devices is going to stay with the x86 architecture as it moves into the mobile
device space rather than pursue any licensing deal with ARM Holdings.
AMD reportedly
will continue to focus on its Fusion APU (accelerated processing unit) strategy
as it focuses on processors for the fast-growing tablet space, according to
John Taylor, director of client product and software marketing at AMD.
Taylor
told IDG News Service that the company has "made a big bet on APUs, which
are x86."
Taylor's
statements refute more than a week's worth of speculation that AMD would pursue
a licensing deal with ARM, which holds the designs to the bulk of chips being used
in such mobile devices as smartphones and tablets. ARM licenses its designs to
a variety of chip makers, including Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Samsung and
Nvidia.
ARM announced
April 26 a
licensing deal with LG Electronics.
Speculation
around an AMD-ARM deal was fueled by a number of sources. One was the
announcement by AMD that Jem Davies, ARM's vice president of technology, will
give a presentation at AMD's inaugural Fusion Development Summit, which will be
June 13-16 in Bellevue, Wash. According to AMD, Davies will talk about
heterogeneous computing and ARM's support for open standards, including OpenCL.
In addition,
ARM CEO Warren East, in comments during a conference call April 27 to discuss
the company's earnings and in press interviews afterward, said he believed AMD
was rethinking its mobile strategy and that it created "a heightened
opportunity" for ARM.
AMD
and larger rival Intel are the top chip makers in the PC and server space.
However, the two x86 processor vendors have little to no presence in the
booming tablet and smartphone spaces, where low-power ARM-designed chips
dominate. Intel is aggressively pursuing the markets with its Atom platform. On
the other hand, AMD has lagged in its interest, though that is beginning to
change.
Both chip vendors
see an opportunity to expand their businesses into markets that are growing
rapidly. Tablet shipments are expected to increase from 70 million this year to
294 million in 2015, according to market research firm Gartner. Meanwhile,
In-Stat is predicting smartphone sales will rise to 850 million.
Intel this
month rolled out the Atom X670 "Oak Trail" chip aimed at the tablet space, and
predicted as many as 35 designs based on the processor to start rolling out in
May. Intel also is readying its next-generation tablet chip-dubbed "Ceder
Trail"-to start shipping in 2012, followed in the next year by another
processor. Intel officials also have said they expected smartphones powered by
their chips to begin hitting the market later this year.
AMD has not
been as aggressive, which may have contributed to the forced resignation in
January of CEO Dirk Meyer. The resignation came just after AMD launched the
first of its Fusion APUs, which offer discrete-level graphics and the CPU on
the same piece of silicon. The Fusion strategy has been years in the making,
since AMD bought graphics card maker ATI Technologies in 2006. Apparently, that
is the direction company officials are sticking with, even in the tablet space.
AMD is
expected next year to release its first x86 chip targeted for tablets, though
company officials have said that its "Brazos" processor, which was designed for
lightweight laptops and netbooks, also can run in tablets.
AMD also
reportedly is looking to hire engineers with experience in Android driver
development as it steps up its efforts in tablets and smartphones.
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