Executives at AMD are pursuing a new strategy to combine CPUs and graphics processors into one unit and put them into everything from workstations to HDTVs to wireless phones. At a meeting of industry analysts and journalists Thursday at AMD"s headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, AMD outlined its two-pronged approach of continuing to sell to the server and desktop computer markets while also pursuing the growing market for multifunction cell phones and consumer electronics like gaming consoles and Web-connected TV set-top boxes.
The strategy is intended to leverage AMD"s 2006 acquisition of graphics processor ATI Technologies and expand beyond AMD"s core server and PC market to the growing home entertainment and mobile device markets. While intended to enhance AMD"s stance against chip rival Intel, one analyst said it would pit AMD against new challengers already in the mobile space. AMD calls it the "Bulldozer and Bobcat" strategy, said Phil Hester, corporate vice president and chief technology officer for AMD. The Bulldozer line represents the server, workstation, and PC market, while Bobcat, a reference to a smaller type of construction vehicle that is about the size of a fork-lift, represents smaller handheld devices and consumer electronics.