AMD is pinning its hopes on ARM servers and custom designs to pull its nadgers out of the fire, sources inside the company are saying.
New CEO Lisa Su has said ARM servers will account for as much as 15 percent of the total server market in less than five years and AMD wants a slice of that.
It is a long term gamble, and one which is a move away from AMD’s traditional x86 plans.
What is also strange about the plan is that it does create rivals from companies that are also bidding to put ARM in the data centre.
There is also the problem that ARM adoption in the server space is new and lacks the software and driver maturity of x86 – something which AMD actually knows rather a lot about.
To keep the flag flying. AMD plans to increase its custom semi-design business. AMD has recently signed a number of new customers up to its “semicustom” practice, which it expects to grow into a business worth as much as $1 billion in much-needed new revenues.
