AMD touts Business Class service to PC vendors
Looking for leg room in the corporate world
AMD today tried to claw corporate customers back from Intel with its first ever strictly business platform.
The struggling chip maker is targeting enterprise and SMB markets with its AMD Business Class programme, intended to make it easier for PC makers to develop AMD-based machines.
Under the new roadmap, AMD - which is perhaps best known for dishing up chips to the consumer market - has released its first commercial desktop platform aimed squarely at biz customers.
The company said the new platform will come loaded with a variety of CPUs and chipsets, including Phenom X3 triple-core, Phenom X4 quad-core and Athlon X2 dual-core processors.
AMD has also extended its processor warranties from one to three years, as well as guaranteeing that processors will remain available for two years.
It said channel partners will be able to get their hands on the new platform for up to 18 months under its AMD Validated Solutions (AVS) program.
The chip maker is working with manufacturers MSI and ECS, and added that it has plans to link arms with Asus down the road.
The firm hasn’t confirmed any deals with computer vendors, but several reports suggest that Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Lenovo, Acer and Fujitsu Siemens will shortly announce new PCs based on AMD’s Business Class technology initiative.
Earlier this month the firm posted its sixth consecutive loss, for the first quarter of 2008. AMD brought in revenues of $1.51bn, but made a net loss of $358m and an operating loss of $264m.
AMD, which recently said it would cut one in ten jobs after suffering from falling sales across its whole business, will be hoping the new strategy to plump up market share by punting platforms to biz customers will help turn its woeful performance around.®
COMMENTS
@PC6300
"really save some green" is an interesting comment .. saving on the $ green front is a good thing. Wonder if cutting down on PC swap-outs, hardware upgrades etc cos of incompatible machines will actually have an impact on the other sort of green, or is it a marketing gimmick.... personally I believe it can be both, and the green card is being controlled by marketing and sales teams who should be taken out and shot (then again, I tend to feel that about all sales and marketing teams who routinely quote benefits with no independent 3rd-party-verified supporting docs)
my required title
"AMD has also extended its processor warranties from one to three years, as well as guaranteeing that processors will remain available for two years."
It is nice to see AMD addressing what I think is the biggest problem businesses face with purchasing PCs. Creating images and managing drivers is a big cost for a large firm. Being able to have a stable line of PCs for over a year could really save some green.
