AMD Strengthens Mobile Computing Research and Development with New Engineering Lab in Tokyo

“Japan is recognized worldwide as a leader driving the shift toward mobile computing,” said Dirk Meyer, executive vice president of AMD’s Computation Products Group. “We envision that x86 technology will continue to expand across mobile platforms, enriching the computing experience for users everywhere. AMD’s Japanese manufacturing partners are an integral part of our efforts to make this vision a reality.”

The Japanese market has been at the forefront of mobile computing for several years, with notebook PCs outselling desktop units since 2001. The preference for notebooks and other mobile computing solutions among Japanese customers has continued unabated. In 2003, the notebook segment comprised nearly 55 percent of the Japanese PC market and continues to expand.

The Japan Engineering Lab initially will be managed by Steve Polzin, Sr. AMD Fellow and Chief Platform Architect. Lab engineers will support electrical, thermal and silicon design disciplines, contributing to the development of Mobile AMD Athlon™ 64 processors, AMD Alchemy™ Solutions and AMD Geode™ Solutions. As part of AMD’s customer-centric design effort, the engineering team will work closely with the company’s silicon engineering teams in Austin and Dresden, as well as platform engineering teams in Austin and Taipei.

“Japanese customers typically demand the world’s highest quality, and Japan is the country where mobile computing trends are set,” said Kazuo Sakai, corporate vice president, sales and marketing, AMD South Asia Pacific and Japan. “By establishing this new engineering lab in Tokyo, our Japanese customers will be able to influence and contribute to mobile device feature definitions in a more significant way.”

“Japan is leading the world in the advancement of the mobile market. Sharp takes pride in market innovation, and we welcome AMD's JEL establishment which will help AMD's excellent processor technology to be optimized for mobile applications,” said Hirohide Nakagawa, group general manager of Information and Communication Systems, Sharp Corporation. “We will work closely with AMD's JEL to develop future notebook PCs which meet our customers’ needs in a timely fashion."

About Mobile AMD Athlon™ 64 processors
Notebooks powered by Mobile AMD Athlon 64 processors benefit from outstanding performance, extended system battery life, 64-bit capability, HyperTransport™ technology for improved multi-tasking functionality, and an Enhanced Virus Protection feature that will be enabled by the upcoming Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 2 in both 32-bit and 64-bit operating environments.

About AMD’s Personal Connectivity Solutions Group (PCSG)
AMD’s PCSG delivers high-performance, low-power embedded solutions that are designed to address customer needs in the non-PC Internet Appliance market. PCSG offers technologies from the AMD Alchemy Solutions and the AMD Geode Solutions product families covering a wide range of applications. Target markets for PCSG include multimedia, access & computing devices, and growth opportunities in consumer electronics and communication segments.

About AMD
AMD (NYSE:AMD) designs and produces innovative microprocessors, Flash memory devices and low-power processor solutions for the computer, communications and consumer electronics industries. AMD is dedicated to delivering standards-based, customer-focused solutions for technology users, ranging from enterprises and governments to individual consumers. For more information visit http://www.amd.com

AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Athlon, AMD Alchemy, AMD Geode and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. HyperTransport is a licensed trademark of the HyperTransport Technology Consortium. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

The original press release can be found here.