AMD to Enter Another Round of Restructuring This Month

[zalbard]

For example, Intel can't allow that other company buys AMD and can't stop this event because U.S. Antitrust will not allow the merge of Intel and AMD.

Would they, I wonder?

We have so many CPU manufacturers now. ARM, Qualcomm, IBM, Samsung and Nvidia... Some of them already advanced into servers.

[Fottemberg]

Would they, I wonder?

We have so many CPU manufacturers now. ARM, Qualcomm, IBM, Samsung and Nvidia... Some of them already advanced into servers.

Intel has 97% of Server market, 90% of Windows PC Market and 22% of Tablet market. Antitrust can't allow a merge Intel-AMD, at the moment.

[Aberration]

Antitrust should have broken up Intel a long time ago.

[iddqd]

Most of their stuff is overseas at this point, it would be an empty gesture.

[Aberration]

Intel is mostly overseas?

[iddqd]

Some of their manufacturing capacity, yes. Some R&D also. Unlike telcos, they're not tied down by infrastructure, and could withdraw from the US entirely, if necessary, just like the car companies. Unlike the car companies, they already have one foot out the door if anything starts.

[eRacer]

There's a very good chance people will get laid off this month.

AMD laying off 7% of workforce

On October 10, 2014, the Board of Directors of the Company approved a restructuring plan (the "Plan") designed to implement operating efficiencies. Under the Plan, the Company expects to reduce global headcount by 7 percent, largely expected to be completed by the end of the Company's fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, and to align the Company's real estate footprint with its reduced headcount, largely expected to be completed by the end of the Company's first half of fiscal 2015.

The Company currently estimates that it will record a restructuring and impairment charge of an aggregate amount of approximately $70 million under the Plan...

Here is the reason: disappointing AMD Q3 2014 earnings

AMD net profit only $17 million compared to $48 million in Q3 2013 while Intel managed to grow their net profit by $367 million over the same period by generating a $3.317 billion dollar net profit in Q3 2014.

[SoulsCollective]

*sigh*

My sympathies to those laid off. I appreciate that as a public company they've got to show returns over the short-term (at the time of writing they're up 1.4%), but I can't help but feel that after so many rounds of restructuring and staff cuts they might be restructuring themselves right out of business.

[Aberration]

That is indeed what they are doing. Large publicly traded companies don't go out with a bang.

Some of their manufacturing capacity, yes. Some R&D also. Unlike telcos, they're not tied down by infrastructure, and could withdraw from the US entirely, if necessary, just like the car companies. Unlike the car companies, they already have one foot out the door if anything starts.

Right. So most of it is not overseas. The vast majority of their production is in Oregon, Arizona and New Mexico. The only CPU manufacturing outside the US is Ireland and Israel. Everything else is packaging, chipsets, and other product lines. A large reason is the trade restrictions on the lithography process. Splitting them up would be the best thing to happen not only for the advancement of technology, but also for consumer prices.

Intel has done everything that we warn monopolies will do. They impede development. And they use their market position to stifle competition. AMD literally has no chance of competing. Ever. And they never did. Them buying ATi was a great move. But it was too little too late. You can't really use a successful company to prop up one that is already failing, without bringing the successful company down.

[dasa]

those steam hardware surveys look to be broken how can the entire r9 series have sold so few that there down the bottom without even splitting the categories to r9 270-r9 295x2 while gtx770 is up the top double even the gtx680
in au gtx770 has been priced close to 290 while gtx780 has been over $100 more for something that is no better and the only ones that tried to argue nvidia was even competitive would use benchmarks like this one where 280x performs around gtx580 level
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

while nvidia may not be such bad value in other counties if those steam stats are accurate it seems that there marketing\fanboys are whats giving them higher gpu sales not people that are making a informed decision about which is the better buy

now before anyone goes and rants about me being a amd fanboy i am currently happily recommending gtx970 to people as its new tech and better value than anything else in its price range being the same price as 290 while using less power and having great overclocking head room
amd was competitive with nvidia in performance per watt but i doubt amd will catch maxwell in ppw any time soon so hopefully there next gpu will be much faster than anything we currently have

so how long till amd gives up on bulldozer?
maybe samsung should buy amd

[STEvil]

Not all AMD gaming GPU purchases were used for gaming, plenty went towards mining.

[DarthBeavis]

While I love seeing AMD fanboys cry, I am sad for the AMD employees losing their jobs. Hope AMD does survive to help provide some level of competition so my beloved NVIDIA keeps spending money on R & D and marketing.

[SEA]

With the confirmed GF buying IBM fabs with thousands of patents it could be positive for AMD as well. The thinner tech process might get mature faster

[Sparky]

While I love seeing AMD fanboys cry, I am sad for the AMD employees losing their jobs. Hope AMD does survive to help provide some level of competition so my beloved NVIDIA keeps spending money on R & D and marketing.

How much do they pay you for you to love them so much?

I totally understand being a fan of one side or the other, but that level of dedication is a bit weird

[DarthBeavis]

How much do they pay you for you to love them so much?

I totally understand being a fan of one side or the other, but that level of dedication is a bit weird

Doing custom projects and working tradeshows since 2008 for them . Yes I do have a bias. That being said, I do follow trends in this industry (also have been contractor/consultant for ASUS for years). Everything I post is from my view and not that of anyone at any of the companies. I do know AMD blew it when they lost Simon Solenko. After that they just went downhill

[~CS~]

Why is there a "suction tool" in the picture?

[DarthBeavis]

Why is there a "suction tool" in the picture?

you have a dirty mind . . .

[NEOAethyr]

Offtopic...
@DarthBeavis

I see a 3d printer there, any word on ebm type for consumers?

[tbone8ty]

Who is simon solenko?

[FlanK3r]

he thought SImon Solotko, Nomis64 here...

[DarthBeavis]

Offtopic...
@DarthBeavis

I see a 3d printer there, any word on ebm type for consumers?

No. Been looking at SLA but I just got a laser-cutter so that is taking up my time at the moment (plus we are getting reading to start the next season of the Vanilla Ice project so I have many balls in the air and a few in my shorts).

Sorry about the wrong last name for Simon. I am old - probably early Alhzeimers from breathing in burning acrylic smoke

[josh1980]

*sigh*

My sympathies to those laid off. I appreciate that as a public company they've got to show returns over the short-term (at the time of writing they're up 1.4%), but I can't help but feel that after so many rounds of restructuring and staff cuts they might be restructuring themselves right out of business.

As far as I am concerned, they restructured themselves to hell a few summers ago. As someone who uses FreeBSD and Linux, AMD's support took a terrible hit in the open source department a few years ago. FreeBSD and Linux, just like Windows, needs AMD/Intel coders from those companies to help make the OS as compatible as possible. Intel has massive money to spend making that happen. A few summers ago AMD laid off something like 70% of their open source contributors. To me, that was the stupidest mistake they could have made.

AMD is one of those companies that I love to hate and love to love.

On one hand AMD provides competition to Intel. This is good for *everyone* regardless of whether they buy AMD or Intel.

On the otherhand, AMD hardware has always been a nightmare for me. Every time I've bought it it's never been what I expected, sometimes had terrible flaws that made it unusable for my situation, and sometimes wasn't even compatible. This goes back to the mid 90s too! I've spent so much money on AMD hardware that was brand new and collecting dust on a shelf a week later because it was unfit that I stopped buying all AMD products about 8 years ago. That time I bought a laptop that was unusable for the one purpose I had for it... playing SD videos. Couldn't take it back and such so it literally had about 50 power-on hours on it while it collected dust for 2 years until I gave it away (yes, *gave* it away) to a friend.

I hate to say it, but I have a double-standard with AMD. I want them around, but I don't want them around *me*.

[[XC] Lead Head]

Never had a single problem with any piece of AMD hardware. 650MHz Athlon, Athlon XP 1700, Athlon 64 3000, Opteron 165, FX-6300, HD5870, HD6570M. Never had a single issue.