AMD reveals plan to create products with customer-specific IP

AMD announced today a strategic focus on developing one-of-a-kind solutions through its Semi-Custom Business Unit based on the extensive set of intellectual property (IP) amassed across AMD processors, graphics and multimedia. Providing to customers a level of flexibility and differentiation that goes beyond standard AMD products, the business unit takes AMD to a new level of customer-centric design by integrating these building blocks with customer-specific IP to create tailor-made solutions using a flexible System-on-a-Chip (SoC) design methodology.

AMD's high-performance SoC processor design methodology provides a modular approach, leveraging best practices to readily re-use silicon IP and design building blocks. With the Semi-Custom Business Unit, AMD collaborates with customers to create customized chip solutions that help enable customers to push the boundaries in product development. The business unit features a strong team of engineers who are well-versed in graphics and compute processing, and is led by Corporate Vice President and General Manager Saeid Moshkelani. Moshkelani joined AMD last year from Trident Microsystems and reports to AMD Senior Vice President and General Manager of Global Business Units Lisa Su.

"Innovation in computing over the next decade will come from deep knowledge and integration of hardware, software and system expertise," said Su. "The charter of the Semi-Custom Business Unit at AMD is to provide OEM customers access to leading-edge IP to create tailored and differentiated solutions. AMD's high-performance heritage, strategic investments in IP, and SoC design methodology enable customer-specific solutions that are truly one-of-a-kind."

"AMD has a strong intellectual property portfolio and a nimble approach to chip design. That combination should help the company capitalize on new opportunities by customizing its IP building blocks for specific applications and use cases," said Charles King, president and principal analyst, Pund-IT, Inc. "AMD's ability to flexibly collaborate with customers should lead to the development of high-value solutions that deliver superior performance and end-user satisfaction."

The Semi-Custom Business Unit will focus on high-volume, high-value applications across a wide array of markets, including: gaming, set-top boxes, smart TVs, PCs, tablets, servers, high performance computing and infrastructure applications. The PlayStation 4 (PS4) from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) is the first announced customer design win. With AMD's scalable Semi-Custom solutions, IP blocks can be quickly tailored without having to design a new platform. The Semi-Custom Business Unit is able to deliver tailor-made solutions within an accelerated timeframe.