Intel, AMD don't see demand falling off cliff
555851
At Intel Corp  and  Advanced Micro Devices Inc , which together own the  market for computer microprocessors, their chief executives had  one message for investors this week: "What, me worry?"
64967
In the fourth calendar quarter of last year, Intel made the most headway against arch-rival AMD in the server CPU market in several years, surging ahead in shipments and reportedly taking back a few points of market share. Now, AMD is working to take those points back and then some.
665986
There&#39;s been a fair amount of debate recently about whether AMD or Intel is winning the ever-present chip arms race. Based on the experience of this year&#39;s Intel Developer Forum (IDF), I&#39;m not sure that Intel can still claim to be in the lead.
705234
Intel's Xeon carves server chip share despite Opteron price cuts, but AMD still gains in notebooks, desktops.
275219
AMD got some much-needed good news this week when Gateway announced that it's trading in Intel chips for AMD Phenom quad-core processors in two new high-end desktop machines.Gateway, which has been mostly an Intel-only company for years, unveiled Wednesday AMD-based GM and GT series desktop systems. And for a microprocessor company that has been struggling with missed shipment dates, financial woes and a slide in mind share, this is welcome news, according to industry analysts."This is very positive for AMD," said Dean Freeman, an analyst at Gartner. "Almost any wins are good news for AMD at this time. AMD has been beaten down pretty hard lately, and this says someone thinks enough of them still to put their chips in their systems."Focusing on "media-hungry users", the new Gateway GM5664 desktop is geared toward gamers and users interested in video editing or watching live TV online. Available at U.S. retailers for $1,149.99, the computer also sports a "Hybrid-SuperMulti" optical drive that reportedly can read both HD-DVD and Blu-ray movies as well as read and burn CDs and standard-def DVDs.The Gateway GT5662, which prices in at $749.99, is a multimedia lite machine. This desktop uses the lower power AMD Phenom quad-core 9500 proccessor, a 500GB hard drive, and its own SuperMulti drive to enable users to burn content onto DVDs or CDs.Both Freeman and Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst with Insight 64, noted that by getting some AMD processors into the mix, Gateway is able to buy some of its chips for a lot less cash. "This allows Gateway to go ahead and lower margins or offer lower prices for customers," said Freeman. "Gateway is looking to make strategic moves to increase profitability."Having Gateway buy into its quad-core family isn't going to put AMD back on top by any means, noted Gordon Haff, an analyst with Illuminata. "No specific OEM, especially a second-tier one, is going to change AMD's market position dramatically," he added. "That said, this is how companies need to build their market position -- one win at a time, whether big or small."
642703
Once more, with feeling: Why is AMD on the lam, and how can it get back up?
23976
Despite fluctuating stock prices, AMD and Intel assure investors that microprocessor market remains strong; analysts agree.
628105
By MATTHEW FORDAHL    SAN JOSE, Calif.  -- Contradicting fears that the semiconductor industry's pace of development is slowing, Intel Corp...
648372
(InfoWorld) - Advanced Micro Devices' move to cut overhead costs by outsourcing its chip manufacturing business may backfire in the long run, according to several analysts who have downgraded the company's stock. AMD is struggling it keep its head above water after posting losses of $611 million and $574 million for its past two quarters. The company has also drawn criticism for its manufacturing, with recent reports that it will delay the full-volume launch of the "Barcelona" quad-core Opteron server chip from July to October. That would hobble AMD in its effort to compete with surging rival Intel. Although AMD's Opteron has won over many users of Intel's Xeon server chips since its launch in 2003, that trend is now in a sharp reversal, according to a June 13 report from Jon Peddie Research. In the market for workstation processors, AMD had pushed Intel's share down to 87.6 percent in the first quarter of 2006, but Intel has rebounded since then, reaching 92 percent share in the first quarter of 2007. The building pressure recently prompted some analysts to predict that AMD might stop manufacturing any chips at all and convert to a fully outsourced business model as soon as 2008. AMD said that rumor had come from a "speculative" Goldman Sachs report, but confirmed that the company is trying to focus its efforts on developing chips instead of manufacturing them, according to AMD spokesman Drew Prarie. AMD currently has a deal giving it access to IBM's chip fabrication plant in East Fishkill, New York. Under that arrangement, AMD can perform much of its research and development without having to incur the cost of owning its own manufacturing plant, he said. "We're looking to find ways to extend that model beyond research and development to the full range of the manufacturing supply chain," Prarie said Monday. "That could run the range from increasing the amount of processors we send out for chartered manufacturing, and could also include things like establishing partnerships on the manufacturing side." AMD has already taken some steps in this direction. In 2006, AMD announced a plan to give Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing a heavier load, asking the firm to begin making the new 65-nanometer scale Athlon chips and other processors. And in May, AMD announced that it hadÂ awarded the job of manufacturing its newest graphics chips to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Now the company may be preparing to expand that model, according to a June 17 report from Citigroup analyst Glen Yeung. AMD is on the verge of making a "transformational move" such as outsourcing a larger share of low-end processors to TSMC, selling a share of the manufacturing capacity in its Fab 30 chip-making plant in Dresden, Germany, or even selling a share in its planned $3.2 billion chip plant in Saratoga County, New York, Yeung wrote. Despite AMD's insistence that such an arrangement would simply allow it to stay in the chip business while cutting costs, the uncertainty makes Wall Street analysts nervous. The Citigroup report lowered its estimate of AMD's future revenue from $1.3 billion to $1.1 billion for the second quarter, and from $5.8 billion to $5.6 billion for the full year of 2007. Those figures would represent a flat performance compared to AMD's performance last year, with $1.22 billion of revenue in the second quarter of 2006 and $5.6 billion for the full year. "We are again lowering AMD estimates, this time for 2Q07 (we had previously lowered 2H07), reflecting our field checks suggesting current conditions are weak," Yeung wrote. While Citigroup recognizes that AMD could be moving away from its own manufacturing and that could help the company cut costs, "we remain on hold for the shares given near-term weakness," he wrote. In contrast, Yeung said Intel would continue to enjoy a competitive advantage thanks to theÂ potential delay of AMD's Barcelona chips, the rising popularity of Intel's new Santa Rosa notebook platform, and the continued sales of Core-family chips for desktop PCs.
641670
Dual-core chips that AMD and Intel plan to bring to market next year won't be sharing their memories.
674841
The quad-core server chip won't appear until later this year, but AMD's trying to show potential customers the chips are up and running.
431582
Race for bragging rights favors Intel again -- for now. But AMD is fighting back with a workaround it says will keep  it in the running until it can bring out its own quad core. By Dan Goodin.
465771
With stronger profits to report, Intel's looking forward to this week. Struggling AMD, on the other hand, will hope it goes by quickly.
415069
MANHASSET, NY - Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, Calif.) has taken some lumps this year due to weakening market conditions and several strategic errors, but the semiconductor supplier remains loyal to its shareholders.
6201
The CEO of the world's largest chipmaker wants hardware developers thinking about graphics, low-power applications, and Intel's determination not to let AMD get the best of it again.
651176
To judge by the shift in the headlines, the processor war is nearly over. Who&#39;s in? Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD). Out? Intel (Nasdaq: INTC).
231067
Intel will always have AMD to worry about in the PC business. In the mobile world, however, it's shaping up a little differently.