AMD and Intel – Showdown at the Digital Divide

AMD and Intel are two of the largest names in the microprocessor industry, claiming nearly 95% of the total market share between them; indeed they are both well known for their products in this regard. So what happens when the two largest microchip manufacturers in the world focus some of their attention on emerging markets? As it turns out, quite a lot.

AMD's Emerging Market Initiatives

AMD is somewhat at the forefront of the emerging market initiatives, largely because they are known to be the company that is manufacturing the processor used in the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program. While this is certainly their most well advertised claim to fame in this particular area, it definitely isn’t the only place where AMD is dabbling. To get the full picture of what AMD is doing to spread out into emerging markets, one has to look in depth at their 50x15 Initiative.

AMD's 50x15 Initiative is a program whose purpose is to “enable affordable, accessible Internet connectivity and computing capabilities for 50 percent of the world’s population by the year 2015.” This is indeed a bold goal, as much of the population that needs to be reached is in areas where Internet access is very limited and computers are an unaffordable luxury. This is why the AMD program is attacking the problem from two directions: partnering with telecommunications companies to help provide affordable internet, and providing affordable, low-power computers.

One of AMD's first efforts in the low-powered computing sector was the Personal Internet Communicator (PIC) which was developed in 2004 as a very small form factor, low-cost internet appliance that could be coupled with a managed Internet service for ease of use and reliability. The computer was entirely enclosed, had very little hardware or software upgradeability, and was powered by the AMD Geode processor, a thin client processor that is well known for its extremely low power consumption and embedded architecture (for more information on the AMD Geode processor, please visit their website). Unfortunately, the PIC wasn’t widely adopted, seeing only modest success in countries such as Mexico, Brazil and China, however it did pave the way for the development of other affordable computer systems, most notably the OLPC.

AMD's Personal Internet Communicator - AMD Link

Before touching on the OLPC, it’s important to also look at the effect that AMD’s processors have on other emerging market players. Due to the low power needs of AMD’s Geode processor, many other companies have released their own energy efficient, affordable computers in conjunction with AMD’s 50x15 Initiative. The Linutop is one such device: a computer that uses only 6 watts of power and is meant to act as a simple diskless Internet PC for those who simply need to surf the web and check email. Likewise, Wyse Technologies has partnered with Inveneo, an organization dedicated to bringing information and communication technologies (ICT) to the remote areas of the world. As part of this partnership, AMD Geode processors have already been deployed in solar powered thin clients that have Internet, computing and Voice over Internet capabilities. These terminals can be used to provide mobile communications to those that need them, all over the world.

The Linutop, a 6W computer - Linutop Link

Finally, the One Laptop per Child project deserves mention because it has gained a substantial following since its inception, with a great deal of interest being paid now that it has finally reached maturity. While the laptop itself is slated to enter into large scale production in September of this year, small numbers of the PC have already been rolled out to schools in Brazil, Argentina, Libya, Nigeria, and Thailand. The brainchild of Nicholas Negroponte, a professor at MIT, the OLPC program holds great promise for children in areas where a powerful computer is impractical and unaffordable.

The Current OLPC - OLPC Wiki Link