AMD : Graphics and x86 CPU Leadership Are Top Priorities

John Byrne, the head of AMD's Computing and Graphics segmentation outlined the company's top priorities and renewed focus in its latest roadmap.

Featured 3 AMD This was revealed via an interview with venturebeat.com in which the manufacture veteran talked about a number of pregnant changes that he led in the brusk menstruation of fourth dimension in his new part. John Byrne joined AMD seven years ago when his company was acquired past AMD. Byrne held many positions within the company ever since. The most recent and significant of which is the general manager of AMD'south computing and graphics sectionalization. A position that he took over merely 7 months ago, prior to that he had been the head of sales for the company.

AMD's Going Through Significant Changes

The company has been going through some meaning direction changes ever since Dr. Lisa Su took over the office of CEO a few months back. The most dramatic of which occurred only two days agone when three of the visitor'south top executives left. Including the primary marketing officer Colette LaForce, the chief strategy officer Rajan Naik and finally John Byrne GM of computing and graphics. Lisa Su volition temporarily have over John Byrne's responsibilities leading the computing and graphics business organisation until a replacement is found. According to AMD the new GM volition exist someone from outside the company.

amd-executive-team Byrne's departure is the most surprising equally he had only been promoted to that role seven months ago as I'd previously mentioned. Unlike his departing colleagues who accept just been at AMD since 2022 when Rory Read became the CEO of the company. The Scottish executive who's famous for his energy, enthusiasm and charisma has been with AMD for far longer, joining the company in 2007. Byrne was also the one to announce Carrizo, AMD'due south next generation APU, a couple of months agone. Which but serves to add to the mystery of why exactly he's leaving. Whatever the underlying reason may be we wish him all the very best.

John Byrne

Fortunately however, before leaving, Byrne presented a comprehensive overview of what AMD's computing and graphics sectionalization has in shop for us.

There are three major categories in which AMD is actively working towards according to Byrne. Better x86 performance, maintaining graphics leadership and finally improving ability efficiency. The first two are quite obvious long term goals. But are still worthy of notation. Especially the x86 comment may show to exist quite a relief to those who had doubts about AMD'southward x86 investment one time ARM development was brought in. Ability efficiency on the other hand is somewhat of a newer goal that AMD shifted pregnant focus towards near three years agone during the company's restructuring / transformation phase.

In that location are some things we have to exercise well there. Nosotros have to keep to work on our x86 operation, ensuring that each production we bring to market is ameliorate x86. We have to maintain our graphics leadership. For notebook, we have to ensure that we're driving to meliorate bombardment life. We've done well, but I call back if yous look at Carrizo, it's a breakthrough bound for us in terms of power efficiency.

Byrne besides focused on the demand to tackle the huge segment largely occupied by Intel's i3 and i5 processors. Carrizo volition accept on that role. The company has high hopes for Carrizo equally a product that can prove very competitive both in terms of improved x86 performance and the graphics lead over Intel. Byrne also stated that the adjacent detail on the agenda will be to compete more aggressively in discrete graphics with upcoming products.

I believe that we have non historically played in commercial. We've won the industry's largest single tender in commercial 18 months ago in India. We won Elitebook … with HP last year. Wait until you see the lineup of commercial platforms I have with Carrizo. It allows us to continue to attack that i3, attack that i5 consumer, and really get to penetrate the commercial market space. We'll set on graphics. That'due south going to be my strategy next

He as well emphasized the importance of having skilful software to pair with dandy hardware for an overall satisfying experience. This is why the company has increased its software investment focus and will go along to do so in the time to come. The popular Omega catalyst drivers are a result of this effort to bring ameliorate software to the ecosystem. The drivers earned multiple meg downloads according to Byrne. Something of a rarity for a commuter update.

Another thing y'all'll see me spend a lot of time on in our graphics business. We have not bad graphics hardware. I talked about Hawaii. But one thing we should have improved on is the experience of using an AMD product. Our drivers were good, but they weren't skilful plenty. I applaud the software team for the recent Catalyst Omega driver, which has earned multiple millions of downloads already considering the hardware is just part of the story.
We protected the road map. Naught came off the route map, which is of import. We protected R&D. I wanted us spending more, especially on software. Our hardware has ever been skilful. I want to continue to piece of work on our software optimization. In that location's still hiring going on in key technical areas and other parts of the concern.

Byrne too touched upon an intriguing and perhaps exciting management that the company is attempting to take. AMD's research and development team is working towards enabling discrete GPUs and APUs to communicate in a such a way that would ameliorate overall functioning. Call back of this equally dual graphics only without the limitation of specificity. Yous won't need to apply a specific graphics card with a specific APU to see a do good. Engineering try is underway to enable all processors within the system to communicate without restrictions. We're very excited to meet this take form.

Where I desire to then go is … if in that location's 300 million processors and 90 1000000 graphics chips sold per yr, I want our technologies to be talking to each other. If my APU and discrete GPU can talk to one another, that gives me a true advantage that our competitors can't do. We call that A plus A. That's where we're spending a lot of our resource and talent.

Byrne also discussed his fascination for virtual reality and the interesting applications it enables. He paints a beautiful picture of simply putting the VR headset on to discover yourself thousands of miles away sitting with your friends and family. He also points out the traction that VR has gained in the medical and automotive fields. Things like VR facilitated medical and driving simulations tin evolve into exist vital training tools.

One time you try the Crescent Bay, it'll blow your mind. I tried the Oculus one, and it was smashing. You thought about information technology as more than of a game-playing device. When I saw Crescent Bay, though … my family lives in the U.K. When you see an environs where I could literally exist seeing my parents, and we'd appear to be sitting downwards having a conversation in the same room. If I think how that could evolve into automotive or medical super fast, the VR nosotros're seeing today is merely the commencement.

Finally he briefly discussed the major restructuring efforts that took identify in the computing and graphics business unit under his accuse and touched again on the importance of investing in software.

Looking at my business, customer and graphics, I let go a third of the VPs involved in the business, a quarter of the directors. I took a whole chunk out of middle management, which is unusual. Normal that appears to be a protected species, but here it wasn't. I wanted us to be faster. I no longer have two different product teams. I take one. People know where to go. When you're the underdog, you have to accept that underdog mentality. That's why I did information technology.

We protected the route map. Null came off the road map, which is important. Nosotros protected R&D. I wanted united states of america spending more than, especially on software. Our hardware has e'er been good. I want to continue to work on our software optimization. There's however hiring going on in primal technical areas and other parts of the business organisation.

Byrne has shaped AMD's computing and graphics division into a smaller, sharper and more focused entity. Equally a result AMD'southward strategy and goals are now more than clearly defined and it has the necessary talent to carry them out. All of this is crucial to advance production development and shorten the fourth dimension to market. The visitor is adapting to become a much more stiff player in a fast-paced marketplace dynamic. The seeds have been planted and in the adjacent couple of years nosotros will see the bulk of this fruit come to bare.