Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD), the second-biggest maker of computer processors, said its chips are to be used by Dell Technologies Inc for the first time in PCs sold to businesses.
The chipmaker unveiled new processors it says would make AMD-based PCs the best at running artificial intelligence (AI) software. Dell has decided to use the chips in some of its computers aimed at business customers, AMD executives said at CES in Las Vegas on Monday.
Dell’s embrace of AMD for corporate PCs — it already uses the chipmaker for consumer devices — is another blow for Intel Corp as the company struggles to hang on to its eroding dominance over chips for PCs. Commercial and gaming PCs typically are more profitable areas of the market requiring higher-priced components.
Photo: Reuters
AMD said its new Ryzen AI Max series of processors would deliver the highest level of performance available in premium thin and light notebooks.
The chips run AI workloads as much as 90 percent faster than their predecessors, it said.
AMD is also bringing out new 9000 series desktop computer processors, which it said would extend the company’s leadership in that area. The 9900X3D is a chip with 16 processor cores that can run as fast as 5.7 gigahertz, it said.
AMD, Intel and would-be rival Qualcomm Inc are announcing new laptop and desktop parts at the show, arguing their respective technologies provide the best performance for AI workloads. The chipmakers, and computer manufacturers, believe the market for PCs would be revived by the capability of the machines to run more tasks with AI.
Qualcomm’s new chips for AI PCs, the Snapdragon X Platform, cost as little as US$600 and consist of an 8-core Oryon central processor, a graphics component and dedicated AI chip. The new product would run Microsoft Corp’s Copilot+ software, Qualcomm said on Monday.
PC makers including Dell and Lenovo Group Ltd (聯想) are to offer laptops based on the new product in “early 2025,” the chipmaker said.
The chips join a range of more powerful and pricey components offered by Qualcomm — the Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus. A key element of the company’s pitch is the extended battery life offered by machines based on its chips.
Qualcomm said its chips have always been designed for small, battery-powered devices, making them more efficient than the scaled-down desktop parts offered by its more established rivals.
Intel earlier on Monday announced new chips that it claims seize back battery life. Qualcomm disputes that, saying its chips are able to keep working at full power even when laptops are unplugged, while machines running rival processors have to be throttled back.
SEMICONDUCTORS: The German laser and plasma generator company will expand its local services as its specialized offerings support Taiwan’s semiconductor industries Trumpf SE + Co KG, a global leader in supplying laser technology and plasma generators used in chip production, is expanding its investments in Taiwan in an effort to deeply integrate into the global semiconductor supply chain in the pursuit of growth. The company, headquartered in Ditzingen, Germany, has invested significantly in a newly inaugurated regional technical center for plasma generators in Taoyuan, its latest expansion in Taiwan after being engaged in various industries for more than 25 years. The center, the first of its kind Trumpf built outside Germany, aims to serve customers from Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia and South Korea,
Gasoline and diesel prices at domestic fuel stations are to fall NT$0.2 per liter this week, down for a second consecutive week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) announced yesterday. Effective today, gasoline prices at CPC and Formosa stations are to drop to NT$26.4, NT$27.9 and NT$29.9 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively, the companies said in separate statements. The price of premium diesel is to fall to NT$24.8 per liter at CPC stations and NT$24.6 at Formosa pumps, they said. The price adjustments came even as international crude oil prices rose last week, as traders
SIZE MATTERS: TSMC started phasing out 8-inch wafer production last year, while Samsung is more aggressively retiring 8-inch capacity, TrendForce said Chipmakers are expected to raise prices of 8-inch wafers by up to 20 percent this year on concern over supply constraints as major contract chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and Samsung Electronics Co gradually retire less advanced wafer capacity, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday. It is the first significant across-the-board price hike since a global semiconductor correction in 2023, the Taipei-based market researcher said in a report. Global 8-inch wafer capacity slid 0.3 percent year-on-year last year, although 8-inch wafer prices still hovered at relatively stable levels throughout the year, TrendForce said. The downward trend is expected to continue this year,
POWERING UP: PSUs for AI servers made up about 50% of Delta’s total server PSU revenue during the first three quarters of last year, the company said Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) reported record-high revenue of NT$161.61 billion (US$5.11 billion) for last quarter and said it remains positive about this quarter. Last quarter’s figure was up 7.6 percent from the previous quarter and 41.51 percent higher than a year earlier, and largely in line with Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co’s (元大投顧) forecast of NT$160 billion. Delta’s annual revenue last year rose 31.76 percent year-on-year to NT$554.89 billion, also a record high for the company. Its strong performance reflected continued demand for high-performance power solutions and advanced liquid-cooling products used in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers,
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