| Q: | What is “x86 Everywhere”?
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| A: | “x86 Everywhere” is AMD’s vision for utilizing the x86 instruction set architecture (ISA) to power devices of every shape, size, weight and use; in the home, in the office, in cars, in the supply chain, in storage networks, and/or in the data center. AMD believes this vision can accelerate and simplify the process of enabling faster, easier connectivity and data sharing between a wide range of products, from small, portable consumer electronics up to PCs and servers.
By building a greater number of devices upon a standardized x86-based platform, end-users can benefit from the ability to run their existing x86-based software anywhere, anytime, on devices that seamlessly interoperate with all other x86-based devices. This improved end-user experience would ultimately drive adoption of next-generation devices with ever increasing levels of x86 based functionality and performance, creating improved economic opportunities for the entire x86 ecosystem.
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| Q: | What does this initiative mean for AMD and its customers?
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| A: | AMD, having a deep core competency in the development and extension of x86-based computing solutions and a broad existing portfolio of x86 technologies, has developed an initiative to be the company leading the industry to x86 Everywhere and has already embarked on a series of strategies to make the vision a reality.
This can allow AMD to expand its addressable markets and increase revenue growth, while enabling new and sustainable economic opportunities for the entire x86 ecosystem through the following:
- Faster time to market with next-generation converged devices
- Increased demand through an improved end-user experience and increased product differentiation
- Greater margin potential due to lower development costs
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| Q: | How did the initiative come about?
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| A: | The philosophies at the heart of AMD’s vision for 64-bit computing are also at the heart of the x86 Everywhere vision. One of the most important of these philosophies is “investment protection.” By extending x86 to 64-bit, it allows companies and end-users to retain their previous investments in 32-bit x86 hardware and software, and make the switch to 64-bit computing when they choose. Similarly, by extending x86 to embedded processing environments, hardware developers and software developers can leverage their previous investments in x86 development resources to penetrate a broad range of new markets, while avoiding the high cost and slowdowns associated with the porting of code to multiple architectures. Consumer end-users can benefit from using much of their previously purchased x86 hardware and software, as well as any new investments, on their desktop, media PC and handheld devices seamlessly. |
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| Q: | Have you discussed your vision externally before?
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| A: | Yes. The vision was first introduced in the Fall of 2003 at MDR’s Microprocessor Forum.
Since the public introduction, AMD has achieved numerous milestones in making the x86 Everywhere vision a reality. AMD has launched a complete spectrum of embedded processors and solutions based on the x86 standard.
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| Q: | What has changed since you last discussed your vision for x86?
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| A: | The fundamental philosophies and intended benefits of the x86 Everywhere vision remain the same:
- Investment protection is paramount - since millions of people have already made extensive investments in x86 hardware and software, AMD believes that it is inherently better to extend x86 to new form factors rather than forcing customers to buy new software and/or pay for costly porting in order to make that software work on small form factor devices.
- Bringing the hardware to the software is the smart choice - again, since the vast majority of all software today is x86 based (including both Windows® and Linux), it just makes good sense to create x86 hardware in as many form factors as possible, allowing end-users to run all that software wherever and whenever they want to.
- Seamless interoperability among heterogeneous devices is absolutely essential - as digital media proliferates, end-users will demand that it become simple and seamless to transfer that content without restrictions among multiple heterogeneous devices, driving the critical need for a common computing architecture among a majority of devices.
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| Q: | Vision is great, but what progress have you made in making the vision a reality?
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| A: | AMD has made great strides in advancing the x86 Everywhere vision with concrete development achievements, marketing milestones and customer wins. AMD now offers a comprehensive line of embedded x86 based processors for a full spectrum of embedded applications. Advances in silicon technology allow AMD Geode™ processors to meet the power and performance requirements of consumer electronics, handhelds, convergence devices and embedded products. The extension of the AMD Geode Solutions line drives the standard x86 architecture further into markets previously reliant on niche architectures, creating opportunities for designers and developers to rapidly innovate. |
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| Q: | What products today fall within the x86 Everywhere vision?
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| A: | x86 processors can now be designed to specifications (e.g. power, performance, cost, and features) for any application requiring 32-bit or more processing and be competitive with all other ISAs (e.g. ARM, PowerPC, MIPs) in these specifications. Today, AMD’s x86-based AMD Opteron™, AMD Athlon™ and AMD Geode processor lines collectively address the server, workstation, PC, mobile, network storage, consumer electronics and embedded device markets. |
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| Q: | What is your vision for success?
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| A: | Success is where the quality and level of satisfaction of the end-user experience ultimately drive adoption of next-generation devices with ever increasing levels of x86 based functionality and performance. This improves economic opportunities for the entire x86 ecosystem—semiconductor manufacturers, operating system and application developers, and device manufacturers.
Products built on the x86 platform will have greatly simplified and expanded connectivity capabilities. Heterogeneous products, from differing manufacturers, will gain the ability to begin sharing data almost immediately upon first startup, using standards-based wired and wireless networks.
Scenario: A consumer takes a photo on a cell phone while traveling. When she returns home, the digital image automatically distributes to multiple computing devices linked across her home wireless network. Pop open the digital photo album and the photograph is already there -- without first having to download the digital information to a desktop PC, then transfer it to the other devices.
Further, the platform will greatly expand the computational power, regardless of form factor, to that of today’s PC or greater, enabling faster data handling, dramatically expanded feature sets and a more personalized and sophisticated end-user interaction and experience.
Scenario: Today, a member of a European sales force wants to access SAP on her handheld while sipping an espresso at a street-side cafe. A lawyer wants to access historical court proceedings from the past decade on his laptop while sitting in his car. A college student wants to transfer her favorite songs onto her phone for later listening without docking it to her laptop.
Tomorrow, that same salesperson will want to use her handheld to conduct secure multi-million euro financial transactions and check the status of her supply chains worldwide; the lawyer will want to stow his laptop under the passenger seat while he instead uses his car dashboard to video conference with his colleagues halfway around the world; the college student will want that phone to record HD quality video, automatically open and start her car, show her favorite 3-D music videos and change its visual settings based on her touch.
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| Q: | Why is it so important for businesses to be standardized on the x86 architecture? What are the benefits?
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| A: | We’ve already started to see the benefits of standardizing on x86, as companies are increasingly purchasing x86 servers for both 32-bit and 64-bit applications. With a universal architecture, integration is streamlined, initiatives like grid computing are simplified, support costs are reduced and system disruption during installation and integration is minimized.
With an increasingly mobile workforce and handheld devices transitioning beyond PIM and e-mail functionality to become true on-the-go business machines, what is currently considered enterprise computing “on the fringe” will fall under IT’s domain. The full functionality and performance of enterprise-class applications will be extended and mobility devices will be integrated into IT management and support strategies.
Because the vast majority of all software used in enterprises today, from the desktop to the data center, was originally written to the x86 ISA, it follows that x86-based devices will accelerate adoption and drive down management costs by eliminating multi-MPU translation requirements and enabling out-of-the-box handheld device compatibility with:
- x86 based network operating systems (NOSs) such as Microsoft Windows Server and RedHat Enterprise Linux
- The thousands of applications that run on x86 NOSs
- The tens of thousands of universally adopted drivers, codecs, protocols, services and security and management protocols that work in conjunction with x86 NOSs
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| Q: | Who will be leading the x86 Everywhere initiative internally?
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| A: | The future of AMD is x86 and we are aligning resources across the company to achieve the “x86 Everywhere” vision. |
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| Q: | Will you be communicating this to the consumer market, or will you be focused on the enterprise? If so, how do you anticipate you’ll address the consumer market?
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| A: | The x86 Everywhere vision and strategies have significant implications for both the enterprise and consumer markets, and AMD has and will continue to develop and bring to market x86-based solutions for both. |
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| Q: | How does this fit into your overall corporate strategy?
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| A: | At first glance, the x86 Everywhere vision may seem like a departure from AMD’s previous MPU strategies and development philosophies. It is not.
x86 Everywhere, in the same spirit as AMD64, builds upon the bedrock of protecting previous end-user investments while pushing the envelope on performance and functionality. It is the intuitive extension of AMD's unwavering dedication to developing customer-centric solutions that deliver higher value and better economic opportunities through the use of widely adopted industry standards.
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| Q: | Was this initiative in place when you decided to create AMD64 on the x86 architecture?
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| A: | AMD64 was developed prior to the formal articulation of this vision. However, the core philosophies, technical considerations and customer benefits which favored the extension of x86 to 64-bit for AMD64 are the same drivers for the x86 Everywhere vision. |
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