AMD to launch eight new consumer-oriented processors
Chip designer Advanced Micro Devices is announcing eight new additions to its consumer-focused Athlon II desktop microprocessors today.
The new desktop chips include chips with two, three and four computing brains on a single chip. They’re targeted at mainstream computer users looking for bargains on new PCs during the holiday season. Since the new chips are more power efficient, they’re aimed at desktop computers in the smallest cases.
Web sites and system builders will begin selling the… Continue Reading
Graphics chip rivals race to deliver next-generation chips
The next-generation of graphics chips is due to arrive in PCs sometime this year. Both Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices are expected to deliver these chips for the personal computer market this year, but no one knows exactly when.
This change is so important that, depending on which way the rumors swing, it’s bound to drive the stock prices of the rivals involved either up or down through the rest of the year. Because the companies… Continue Reading
Roundup: Facebook snares more funding? Craigslist wins injunction, eBay beats L’Oreal
Here’s the latest action:
From Russia With Love– Digital Sky Technologies, a Russian investor, is offering to put more money into Facebook, raising its valuation to $10 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. [We've since confirmed.]
Court backs Craigslist in South Carolina injunction — A federal judge blocked the state’s attorney general from filing criminal charges against Craigslist related to prostitution charges.
Cartier files, then withdraws lawsuit over iPhone apps – The jewelry maker alleged trademark theft, but… Continue Reading
Craig Barrett bows out with wisecracks at his last Intel annual meeting
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Bringing an era in Intel history and a storied career in the chip industry to a close, Craig Barrett (above) retired as chairman of Intel today at the company’s annual meeting in Santa Clara, Calif.
The 69-year-old spent 35 years at the company and rose in the manufacturing ranks under the leadership of Intel leaders Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore, and Andy Grove. Barrett succeeded Grove as chief executive of the world’s biggest chip maker in 1998… Continue Reading
Intel’s chief executive speaks out against $1.45 billion fine for antitrust violations
In a sign that Intel’s regulatory troubles are just beginning, the European Commission slapped Intel with a record antitrust fine of $1.45 billion today for allegedly abusing its monopoly power in competition with Advanced Micro Devices .
The EU specifically said that Intel gave hidden rebates to computer makers on condition they bought only from Intel, that Intel made payments to major retailer Media Saturn on condition it was an Intel exclusive, and otherwise interfered directly… Continue Reading
Reversing a five-quarter trend, AMD regains market share against Intel
Changes in quarterly market share for PC microprocessors don’t usually raise our eyebrows. But the first quarter results from market researcher IDC are interesting because Advanced Micro Devices has finally reversed five quarters worth of market share losses to Intel .
While the market share change is small, it can add up to a lot of dollars. AMD hit 25 percent market share a few years ago during the heyday of its Opteron server chips. It… Continue Reading
AMD shuffles executives as it combines graphics and microprocessors
Some members of Advanced Micro Devices‘ management team just got Fusioned. Fusion is the brand name for the company’s plans to put graphics and a microprocessor on the same chip. The day that happens is still quite far off, but today the chip design company combined management of the two divisions.
Randy Allen, formerly head of the microprocessor division, is leaving the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company as a result. He apparently had no chair when the music… Continue Reading
Graphics chips make a comeback in first quarter sales
In a sign that the recession in the PC market may be subsiding, graphics chip sales bounced back somewhat in the first quarter.
Graphics chip sales were up 3.3 percent in the first quarter from fourth-quarter levels.
Graphics chips are one leading indicator of PC sales, since graphics chips are purchased ahead of actual PC shipments to customers, so a recovery in graphics chip sales is a good sign for the overall market, according to market researcher… Continue Reading
Chip wars: EU expected to levy antitrust fine against Intel
The computer industry’s chip giants keep fighting each other, and the latest blow appears to be coming soon in Europe.
The European Union is on the verge of fining Intel for anticompetitive behavior in competition with its chief rival Advanced Micro Devices. Action is imminent, although the companies haven’t said anything yet about a ruling, The Wall Street Journal reports.
If the fines are heavy and the legal findings tough, Intel could face a future full of litigation… Continue Reading
AMD puts pressure on Intel with new generation of server chips
Advanced Micro Devices said today it has a new six-core server microprocessor debuting months ahead of schedule and it will have new server processors with as many as 16 cores coming in the next couple of years.
The product introductions show AMD is serious about keeping up with Intel and, if possible, leaping ahead of Intel in some ways. The company announced the moves on the sixth anniversary of its introduction of the Opteron microprocessor, which… Continue Reading
AMD reports wider loss in first quarter, lacks Intel’s bullishness
While Intel said last week that the recession was bottoming out, Advanced Micro Devices continued to have problems in its first quarter.
The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based chip maker said it lost $416 million, or 66 cents a share, compared to a loss of $364 million, or 60 cents a share, a year earlier. While bad, the loss was not as bad as feared. The loss would have been 62 cents a share without one-time charges. Analysts had… Continue Reading
Intel results show PC industry hit bottom in the first quarter
Intel, a bellwether for the bleak first quarter earnings season and the whole tech industry, may have just thrown a life jacket to sinking tech stocks.
The world’s biggest chip maker reported that its first-quarter net income fell 55 percent from the first quarter a year ago. But the net income of $647 million, or 11 cents a share, wasn’t nearly as bad as analysts had feared.
Paul Otellini, chief executive of the company, said in a… Continue Reading
Intel launches Nehalem server chips to improve data center efficiency
Intel introduced its Xeon 5500 Series family of server chips today — chips it hopes will be the standard for data centers of the future.
The chips (formerly code-named Nehalem) are the server variant of the Core i7 microprocessor that Intel introduced in November. They include a new memory subsystem that makes them more power efficient. As such, the chips close the gap in performance that Advanced Micro Devices has had with its Opteron family of… Continue Reading
Intel’s Larrabee graphics processor draws a crowd at Game Developers Conference
Intel will be launching its Larrabee chip next year — a chip that will live or die depending on how popular it is with game developers. Which is why it saw some serious discussion at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco today.
Mike Abrash, founder of RAD Game Tools, which makes video game development tools, took to the stage to pitch the chip to the audience. The chip is a hybrid of a microprocessor and… Continue Reading
Intel alleges AMD breached its cross-licensing pact
The chip giants look like they’re heading toward a hot war. Intel said that Advanced Micro Devices has breached a licensing pact that has been in place since 2001.
AMD said in a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that Intel sent a letter regarding the legitimacy of the pact in light of AMD’s split into two companies. Intel said that AMD’s division into a design business and a manufacturing business, the latter known… Continue Reading
How ugly can the chip business get?
The semiconductor industry has been through so many ups and downs over the course of more than 60 years. If anyone should know how to get through the turmoil, it’s the chip makers who have become the elder statesmen of Silicon Valley.
But the greatest recession since 1929 is pulling the chip industry deeper into the mud than ever before. Sales fell 28 percent in January compared to a year ago. It’s getting ugly. Not quite… Continue Reading
AMD divides itself in two, hoping to gang up on Intel
After a couple of years of preparation, Advanced Micro Devices is finally going to split itself in two today in the belief that competing with Intel is easier done with two heads instead of one.
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD will retain 11,000 employees focused on the design and marketing of microprocessors. Meanwhile, the temporarily-named Foundry Co. will manufacture chips for AMD and will have 3,000 employees.
While the two companies are separate, they will be intertwined. They will… Continue Reading
GamesBeat 09: More great speakers lined up
As the March 24 GamesBeat 2009 games conference draws near, we’re unveiling a new list of speakers. We’re proud to say that some of the biggest names in the gaming world are joining us for the program. Tickets are still available.
Chris Taylor (right), founder of Gas Powered Games, will share the stage with me as co-emcee of the event. We picked Taylor because he has been an advocate for creativity in games and because he’s one… Continue Reading
Gentlemen, start your next-generation game console rumors
The video game console wars have been kind of boring lately, with no hot rumors to talk about. But Charlie Demerjian of the Inquirer tech news site has kicked off a new round of chatter about which chips are going to be in the PlayStation 4, the Wii 2 and the Xbox3 (not the official names).
There isn’t any official information on this yet. And it’s pretty early for the console makers to lock down on… Continue Reading
AMD launches new Phenom II processors: Take that, Intel
Intel hasn’t yet responded to the last salvo Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) sent its way, but AMD is already back to take another whack at the world’s biggest chip maker.
A month after it launched its last round of consumer desktop microprocessors, AMD is launching five new microprocessors for consumer desktop computers.
The newest chips use AMD’s 45-nanometer manufacturing process and carry the AMD Phenom II brand name. Two of the chips have three computing brains, or… Continue Reading