AMD Boss Preaches 64-Bit Gospel

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NEW YORK — With just a week to go before the worldwide release of its
Windows compatible AMD Athlon 64 desktop processor, AMD chief executive Dr. Hector Ruiz took to the TECHXNY stage to preach the 64-bit gospel, arguing that the removal of “disruptive costs” of technology migration will spur innovation in the IT industry.

In his keynote presentation here, Ruiz said the IT sector was mired in frustration and confusion because vendors are adding hidden costs to the migration towards newer technologies. “There is growing evidence that true innovation for the enterprise is at a standstill…IT decision makers are still worrying about installation costs, integration costs, maintenance costs, disruptive costs,” Ruiz declared.

“The insidious hidden costs that come with making the transition from one technology to the next are completely unnecessary,” he added, pointing to Forrester research, which estimated the IT consulting and systems integration business will be in the range of $140 billion in 2007.

“Much of that investment is spent on integration. This suggests that something in the traditional vendor/customer relationship is seriously out of whack,” Ruiz declared.

He argued that the sluggishness of the IT industry no longer offered the luxury of replacing older technologies without a “graceful transition.”

AMD’s heralded 64-bit computing push offers that transition that removes the “disruptive costs,” Ruiz declared. “We take pride in removing the pain normally associated with adopting next generation technologies…It’s irresponsible for an IT vendor not to include these disruptive costs.”

AMD, which trails Intel in the desktop chip business, continues to gain traction in overseas markets, particularly in China where the
Beijing-based Dawning Information Industry Corp. has turned to 64-bit processors to power its supercomputing initiative.

Ruiz said the success of the Dawning 4000A supercomputer was an example of the “clear benefits of AMD Opteron for supercomputing.” In addition, Dawning plans to launch a series of 1- and 2-way servers in China based on AMD Opteron 100 and 200 series processors. The Dawning-A series servers are the first ever 64-bit capable servers in China to provide 32- and 64-bit computing compatibility in one unified platform, he said.

Ruiz urged decision makers to “seek refuge in standards” to cut down on the costs associated with adopting new technologies.