News AMD to decimate workforce

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/04/09/amd_to_decimate_workforce/1

AMD has announced plans to cull ten percent of its global workforce in response to slower than expected sales across its entire product range.

 

I would have thought they'd need all the employees they can get, with the busy times ahead they'll be having. Now that they've sorted the bug in the Translation Look-Aside Buffer (TLB) in the L3 cache, their Quad-Core Opterons are finally a sellable product. Good on AMD for admitting there was a problem, even if it did put their earnings/forecast/profitability behind by a quarter or so.

I just see the lay off as the quickest way of keeping the investors on board.

Btw, first line on second paragraph, change 'law' to 'lay'.

 

Not entirely unsurprising...

Still, the best thing about this article? Someone knows how to use the word 'decimate' properly.

 

Paradigm, I was about to say the exact same thing. I'm even more impressed with the b-t editorial staff than ever before.

 

i hope the guy responsible for that TLB bug is among those 10%...

AMD seems in a tight spot. I think this is a perfect opportunity to drag Sun Tzu into this: choose your enemies as carefully as you choose your friends. AMD picked the wrong people to mess with IMHO. nVidea only needs to run on half-steam to beat the ATI cards atm, and Intel's murderous Tick-Tock pace is something i wouldn't wanna be up against.

I do root for the underdog though, i hope they start pulling some rabbits out of the hat soon.

 

I'm rooting for AMD if only because an Intel monopoly would suck. Competition is good for the consumer

 

Competition is good however at the moment there simply isnt any.

AMD need to invest there money in R&D and look to the future to find something that can challange Intel and surpass, but its a vicious cycle if you cant make the products now and sell them you cant invest in the future and if you cant invest in the future you cant make the next product line any better.

For me AMD shouldnt of boguht ATI anyway

 

Although AMD is doing pretty badly, Intel is still having to work to keep ahead. With no competitor at all, Intel could just wind down R&D totally. Three years ago, AMD were completely on top (for enthusiasts), it goes in swings and roundabouts. I'm not too worried for AMD just yet.

 

AMD'S closed it's FAB30 and doesn't know what to do with the excess people, it's that simple.

 

Bonus points to anyone who knows the origin of the word "decimate" - its original popular usage (one for the ancient warfare buffs).

 

Intel is tempting me but I'm holding out for a couple months.

 

I still buy AMD solutions for cheap builds for people, although I wouldn't run one myself for a 'beefy" rig. My work system is AMD-based; both systems; but my main rig is Intel based.

I agree they really need to step it up, but this is all after-the-fact. They know this. And I'm sure they're working on it. They ain't givin' up the farm yet.

 

It was a way of enforcing discipline in the Roman Legions, IIRC. A harsh way, but a way nonetheless.

 

Actually, if they were to literally decimate as in the original meaning, then they would have far more to worry about than the core 2 duo.
Killing 1 in 10 of its workforce wouldn't make them too popular with their share holders.

dammit, now i can't stop imagining the CEO of AMD as an over the top bond villain.

 

Mabey instead of blowing all thier money on ATI they could've spent it on buying out some of Intels engineers, now they have two second class companies trundeling along under two succesful behemouths. Please innovate.

 

I'd hardly call AMD second class! When the AthlonXP came out, it was well ahead of anything Intel could muster up. Intel were more or less caught napping. Intel's Core marchitecture pushed the envelope again. Whether AMD will prove their innovativeness again remains to be seen, but their server cpu's are certainly causing a stir, which in turn filters down to the desktop.

 

Hopefully I will be getting a 9500 in soon. Building a gaming rig for a mate and then I can see what I am going to put in mine, seen a Q6600, now want to see a 9500.

 

I meant in tech time, which is like a generation, so for right now there flailing and I'm praying for some innovation but if penryn was all they could muster lets hope the got some ace's up there sleeves. I am an AMD guy but not exclusively, thank goodness there losing right now because I can afford a to upgrade to a penryn from my 4800! ATI on the other hand hasn't been on top in a long time but usually a close runner-up to Nvidida.