Posted on Tuesday, June 06 2006 @ 20:32 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Microsoft’s FlexGo technology, and the pay-as-you-go and subscription computing models it enables, combined with AMD’s Efficeon processor, will accelerate AMD’s 50x15 initiative in new and important ways. Under 50x15, AMD is establishing a global network of partners and business models to help connect 50 percent of the world’s population to the Internet by the year 2015. Current global Internet penetration stands at about 15 percent. Through the AMD Efficeon product, OEM and other partners will have a robust CPU based Microsoft FlexGo implementation that can be readily adapted to both mobile and desktop system designs. The AMD Efficeon product was used to create the first hardware implementation for FlexGo and is the first CPU based FlexGo product. Further, the AMD Efficeon product is now being utilized in the second Brazil FlexGo trials that were launched by Microsoft on May 22nd of 2006.
“The AMD Efficeon processor is the industry’s first microprocessor designed specifically to support Microsoft FlexGo technology,” said Billy Edwards, AMD chief innovation officer and senior vice president. “The Efficeon processor will allow consumers in high-growth markets to obtain computers that are provided on a pre-paid basis using either tokens or pre-paid activation cards. This same business model was instrumental in establishing massive global penetration for cell phones and we believe we can adapt it specifically to achieve the goals of AMD’s 50x15 Initiative.”
“AMD’s worldwide channels and consumer brand will accelerate the penetration of this specialized Efficeon microprocessor into high volume emerging markets,” said Arthur L. Swift, president and chief executive officer, Transmeta Corporation. “We look at this announcement as the beginning of a very successful collaboration between AMD and Transmeta to bring Microsoft FlexGo technology to market. Our goal, in conjunction with AMD, is to leverage Transmeta’s unique microprocessor architecture and bring affordable solutions quickly to market for the hundreds of millions of potential Personal Computer users in emerging markets.”
“Microsoft has worked with the Efficeon product for several years in our FlexGo development efforts, and we are impressed with the security capabilities and versatility of this CPU,” said Will Poole, senior vice president of the Market Expansion Group at Microsoft. “The combination of the deep AMD experience in the 50x15 initiative and the advanced security capabilities of the AMD Efficeon will accelerate the availability of attractively priced PCs with Microsoft FlexGo in emerging markets.”
Pay-as-you-go and subscription computing enabled by Microsoft FlexGo technology is the latest addition to AMD’s solution portfolio targeted to support AMD’s 50x15 initiative. The diversity of cultures, local preferences and application needs for emerging markets demands a large portfolio of solutions, including the pay-as-you-go business model, value-based desktop and laptop solutions, AMD’s Personal Internet Communicator (PIC), thin client devices developed by companies such as Sun and Wyse Technology, and the upcoming One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) device targeted for education in these markets. AMD and its partners are building ecosystems that bring the full range of hardware, software, infrastructure (electrical power and similar), micro-financing expertise, and entrepreneurial experience to emerging markets.
