Sunnyvale (CA) – If you have been waiting for some news on how AMD will counter Intel in the next one, two years, then the Technology Analyst Day provided many answers. Not a lot of finished products, but AMD outlined its ideas which the company hopes will shape the industry down the road. If you have missed the webcast, here’s our comprehensive wrap-up.
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AMD held its semi-annual Technology Analyst Day earlier today. The primary purpose of this meeting is to convey technology information to the public based on AMD's direction. Because of this the focus and tone of the meeting was only positive. Another similar meeting is scheduled for December where, in addition to the technology, a deeper financial outlook will also be center stage. (Read also: AMD gets more aggressive, announces next-gen CPU cores )
AMD provided us with information on future products, some revised products and even shared some of their insight into this currently evolving industry. Overall, the presentation was very informative, upbeat and provided a feel for the technology mindset of AMD.
Larger product base
One of the big highlights from the event was the large number of consumer products AMD will begin targeting. The firm’s slides showed 14 different classes of devices. To accommodate this wide berth, AMD has introduced two new technology platforms, called Bulldozer and Bobcat (like the skid loader, not the animal).
Bulldozer is a higher-end product aiming at server, desktop and notebook platforms, while Bobcat targets the lower end, such as ultra mobile computing devices. AMD sees these two technologies moving forward as the centerpieces for a whole fleet of targeted consumer electronics devices. AMD also showed us some Imageon and Xilleon system-on-a-chip products. Imageon already has shipped 2 million units. These products will also include new, specialized equipment for more features and better power savings.
The manufacturing goals at AMD have changed as well. No longer do we see independent efforts within AMD's doors. Instead, we're seeing a shift away from the more traditional manufacturing models aimed at particular segments. AMD is now looking to leverage its base compute abilities across the board. This means knowledge gained in one division is shared and incorporated in another. This includes not only CPU and GPU areas, but also more specialized compute abilities. AMD introduced a new UVD module (Universal Video Decoder, which works with Blu-ray or HD DVD), for example. The company stated that UVD allows a 25x greater utilization of silicon real-estate while simultaneously providing a 40% reduction in power consumption and a 40% increase in performance. These specialized modules are a win-win for consumers.
AMD's focus has also evolved, and without question. They're now taking design and manufacturing processes and leveraging them internally toward goals wrapped in “M-SPACE”. M-SPACE stands for Modularity, Scalability, Portability, Accessibility, Compatibility and Efficiency. It now permeates all aspects of design and is present in all forward-looking products (those about 2+ years out). It's also the mindset in departments and technology ideas in general.
The modular design approach AMD is pursuing was mentioned consistently throughout the presentation. It allows a relatively small base of compute abilities, be they CPU, GPU, or individual components like memory controllers, HyperTransport, DirectConnect, etc., to target many more industry segments than would be possible without it. AMD indicated that by making their products more dynamic and configurable, they can expand them up and down relative to industry targets. This places its compute products in market segments beyond the base abilities the product might otherwise have provided for.
One of the big advantages AMD said it saw in this type of design was the common set of development tools. Also, the advantages offered by a type of backward compatibility from the base x86 architecture. AMD made a point of also not limiting its own future enhancements by sticking with x86 hardware alone. The company will be recommending and employing a layered software model across the board. This design is forward-thinking and allows the hardware underneath to change while still providing the same interface for existing applications. This will also be true in GPU products.
AMD explained that it will see x86-based product migration into nearly every segment, all the way from HPC to handhelds. The firm won't do this by introducing dozens of specialized products, however. It will leverage their two base products, Bulldozer and Bobcat, and use component modularity to address the variables within those market goals.
Future products
AMD is looking at the direction industries are taking. The customers are speaking in the marketplace and AMD's goals are to be there.
As such, the company is expanding existing products and looking for ways to leverage a smaller, yet capable base of compute abilities for new markets. While it might outwardly seem that AMD is moving away from its previous bread-and-butter technique of doing one or two things really well. Chief executive officer Hector Ruiz personally responded to one of the Q&A questions at the end which addressed this very concern by saying, “we believe that it is the product's design which allows us to target this many markets.” He was referring to the modularity described above and how it can help increase the range of performance for varied processing needs across unrelated products.
Read on the next page: Manufacturing targets, Progress with ATI