AMD Dashes Hopes For Proper Geode Successor
Advanced Micro Devices has decided it best to focus its resources on more mainstream chips during these volatile economic times, which means less time will be allotted for researching the aging Geode. And by "less time," we mean "no time."
According to AMD spokesman Phil Hughes: "There are no plans for a follow-on product to today's available AMD Geode LX products, but we expect to make this very successful processor available to customers as long as the market demands." For those having a difficult time comprehending the bluntness, let's try it this way -- if you were banking on AMD's next-generation Geode giving VIA and Intel a run for their collective dollars in the low-cost laptop market, you can kiss those hopes and dreams goodbye.
The low-power Geode chip was once a staple of the original netbook market, as it was proudly used to power the colorful XO laptops made by One Laptop Per Child. Now, the company is ending speculation by making very clear that there is no core microarchitecture planned to replace the chip. Dean McCarron, president for Mercury Research, chimed in on the news by asserting that the processor is simply "too old for further development," and he also noted that AMD is attempting to "channel its resources smartly during tough economic times." Needless to say, his assertion that "Geode isn't high on its list of priorities" syncs up nicely with AMD's own feelings.
To us, the decision seems quite curious. Rather than diversifying its portfolio of offerings, AMD seems to be brushing the low-power market off and hoping that its server / consumer-level processors can bring it back to glory. The move could be seen as an admission of defeat, or one could say that the choice to not craft a proper Geode successor was simply made out of necessity. In fairness, there's still hope for AMD to tweak one of its current CPUs for use in smaller, more power sensitive devices, and judging by the looks of its most recent quarterly earnings, we'd say that's an alternative it should seriously consider.
According to AMD spokesman Phil Hughes: "There are no plans for a follow-on product to today's available AMD Geode LX products, but we expect to make this very successful processor available to customers as long as the market demands." For those having a difficult time comprehending the bluntness, let's try it this way -- if you were banking on AMD's next-generation Geode giving VIA and Intel a run for their collective dollars in the low-cost laptop market, you can kiss those hopes and dreams goodbye.
The low-power Geode chip was once a staple of the original netbook market, as it was proudly used to power the colorful XO laptops made by One Laptop Per Child. Now, the company is ending speculation by making very clear that there is no core microarchitecture planned to replace the chip. Dean McCarron, president for Mercury Research, chimed in on the news by asserting that the processor is simply "too old for further development," and he also noted that AMD is attempting to "channel its resources smartly during tough economic times." Needless to say, his assertion that "Geode isn't high on its list of priorities" syncs up nicely with AMD's own feelings.
To us, the decision seems quite curious. Rather than diversifying its portfolio of offerings, AMD seems to be brushing the low-power market off and hoping that its server / consumer-level processors can bring it back to glory. The move could be seen as an admission of defeat, or one could say that the choice to not craft a proper Geode successor was simply made out of necessity. In fairness, there's still hope for AMD to tweak one of its current CPUs for use in smaller, more power sensitive devices, and judging by the looks of its most recent quarterly earnings, we'd say that's an alternative it should seriously consider.
