AMD boss Lisa Su aims for less dependence on PC markets

[Gregster]

You’d think in 2015, as the digital age explodes, that making computer chips would be highly profitable, a licence to print money.

That’s not the case for Advanced Micro Devices, or AMD, which has been bleeding. It posted a $US180m loss in Q1 2015, following a $US364m loss the previous quarter.

Restructures and the offloading of a server business are partly to blame, but the continued decline of PC sales is the underlying culprit. There was another 5.2 per cent decline in Q1 shipments this year, reports Gartner.

If Lisa Su, AMD’s steely-eyed recently appointed chief executive, has her way, AMD’s predicament will be only temporary. Much rests on her shoulders. If Dr Su succeeds, AMD will continue to revolutionise the world of gaming and computer graphics, and will live to cash in on the rise of virtual reality graphics where it should shine.

If she fails, rival Intel will have a monopoly on most of the computer processor market.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/bus...ce-on-pc-markets/story-e6frgakx-1227393907360

 

[r7slayer]

Good stuff! I guess?

 

[Boomstick777]

This seems to be the trend with the downward turn in the traditional PC market affecting everyone in that market, Nvidia moving into cars, shield console, and even ovens. Intel going everywhere, wearable's, tablets. AMD having all 3 consoles and attempting other areas. This is the future trend. PC market has reached saturation, tbh tablets won't be far behind. They are reaching saturation faster than the traditional PC in terms of time on market.

Still a big market in PC gaming and CPU's / GPU's seems to be single handily pushing that forward. While the traditional PC desktop market shrinks. I think the PC will always be around in one form or another. It just continues to evolve.

 

[Gregster]

Good stuff! I guess?

I didn't really have an opinion if I am honest and thought I would see what everyone else thinks before commenting. I like her style and she seems driven and time will tell.

 

[r7slayer]

Well if I'm honest I'm not sure what to make of this lol.

 

[mmj_uk]

AMD's own decline has probably played a big part in the decline of the PC market, both Intel and NVidia are trickling out new only slighter better technology at extortionate prices and AMD are not offering anything new and/or decent to buy themselves or are doing so only very slowly, people are understandably sticking with what they already have.

You only have to look at how AMD's market share has almost evaporated on both the CPU & GPU front to see where the drop in sales has likely come from, it's a bit of a cop out to just blame other emerging markets.

I would upgrade from 780Ti to the 980Ti but even I think the prices for top end hardware has got out of hand.

 

[Devrij]

Smart move if you ask me. Low margin gear at best, and as she says, it's hard to stand out in the low end. Plus I couldn't give a toss about low end hardware

 

[kazuya1337]

AMD can't take on Intel, maybe if Samsung bought them out but as it is Intel will eat them alive.

 

[DarrenM343]

At least their loss this quarter was much lower than last quarter.
However, it's never a good sign when a Dr is appointed chief executive - why are they not treating patients?What do they know about running a company and developing technology - should keep to arms and legs.

 

[Vince]

At least their loss this quarter was much lower than last quarter.
However, it's never a good sign when a Dr is appointed chief executive - why are they not treating patients?What do they know about running a company and developing technology - should keep to arms and legs.

Not a doctor in the traditional sense:

"She holds bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering and is regarded as an expert in microelectronics engineering, publishing around 40 papers. She spent her formative years working at Texas Instruments and IBM."

 

[Razor Time]

Someone please buy out AMD and bring some competition back into the market place. Their slow regression is sad to see and slowing down the advancement of tech.

 

[gpuerrilla]

AMD's own decline has probably played a big part ...
You only have to look at how AMD's market share has almost evaporated on both the CPU & GPU front to see where the drop in sales has likely come from, it's a bit of a cop out to just blame other emerging markets.

Someone please buy out AMD and bring some competition back into the market place. Their slow regression is sad to see and slowing down the advancement of tech.

I fail to see why people think AMD are to blame for this tech 'advancement' slowdown or 'evaporated' market share. The big boys are much larger entities (dwarfing AMD's budget) and if you voted with your wallet then they would stand a better chance. The desktop market has shrank and people are only upgrading when they have to, simple stuff.

 

[Razor Time]

People have been voting with their wallet and its been intel as they generally have better and faster products. People aren't upgrading as often as advancements have slowed to a crawl.

If AMD were pushing the envelope then tech would advance. Why do you think intel can sit back with 7-10% ipc advancements every generation? If AMD brought out a cpu that wiped the floor with intels current range intel would have no choice but to respond in kind. I would love to buy an AMD cpu for my main rig but they haven't got a product which beats intels so I buy intel instead. Its sad to see as I like AMD and would love to see them do well and be on joint footing with the likes of intel.

IMO AMD need cash and allot of it to sink into R&D and move forward. They need class leading products.

 

[Pleiades]

With the best will in the world and an awesome CEO (which Lisa Su appears to be), the road ahead is still going to be a struggle for AMD without a 'sugar daddy' to help fund R&D.

I thought the Qatari sovereign wealth fund had quite a big stake in AMD? Maybe they should buy it outright, they've got cash to spare (especially if they get the World Cup taken away)!

 

[kaku]

I hate to say it, but it almost sounds as if AMD are throwing in the towel at the high end.

 

[ukxenon]

Amd will be back in 2016 and I hope their new cpu can be competitive again

 

[DarrenM343]

Not a doctor in the traditional sense:

"She holds bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering and is regarded as an expert in microelectronics engineering, publishing around 40 papers. She spent her formative years working at Texas Instruments and IBM."

I know, I was joking, hence my teethy smile

 

[trisp]

If there is one thing i have learned "War time" is when we are at our most productive so it makes sense that if two companies or more are constantly trying to out do each other and invent new things that not only will there be a bigger advancement in tech but also the price's will stay at a decent price

I personally love nvidia product's but if amd do not start to improve or some other company decides to come and try there hand at it i think we will be in for a bad time.

 

[LambChop]

Keep declining please. AMD should sell of their ATI graphics section, they ruined a perfectly good Canadian company. Let AMD die a ****ing horrible slow death, and someone who knows how to run things properly pick up the graphics section. I'd have no problems buying ATI again.

 

[mmj_uk]

I fail to see why people think AMD are to blame for this tech 'advancement' slowdown or 'evaporated' market share. The big boys are much larger entities (dwarfing AMD's budget) and if you voted with your wallet then they would stand a better chance. The desktop market has shrank and people are only upgrading when they have to, simple stuff.

I already explained my reasoning but you conveniently didn't quote it, people are only upgrading when they have to because:

A> prices have skyrocketed due to a lack of competition.

B> performance improvements have slowed due to a lack of competition (not helped by being stuck on 28nm as far as AMD is concerned).

As a result people are being asked to pay more for less, if AMD were doing as well as they were a decade ago we'd probably all be rocking along with Intel hex cores and 980Ti's now (or the AMD equivalents which do not exist today) and they'd all have been sold at more mainstream prices.

Intel & NVidia have already been monopolising for a long time now due to their performance/product advantages which is why it still makes me laugh when people trot out the old "without AMD you'd all be paying stupid prices" line, it's already been happening for a long time now!! an AMD that isn't competitive is no better than one that is bankrupt.

I am not surprised that AMD are trying to become less dependent on the PC market because they are increasingly unable to compete without bankrupting themselves with wafer thin margins.