AMD announces new platform-agnostic tools

SUNNYVALE, Calif - AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the availability of GPU PerfStudio 2.0, a free, platform-agnostic, next-generation AMD graphics application development tool for game developers, obtainable through a closed beta program. GPU PerfStudio 2.0 has been designed from the ground up to easily integrate with existing projects, and help to identify and resolve performance issues early in the development cycle. With these tools, AMD is bringing its unparalleled understanding of 3D graphics technology and the leadership of its line of ATI Radeon graphics cards to bear on the development process.
"The GPU PerfStudio 2.0 suite of tools is extensive, customizable and, most importantly, based on open standards, which is critical for developers looking to integrate them into their existing workflows," said Neal Robison, director, Developer Relations, Graphics Products Group, AMD. "AMD is committed to arming developers with a full complement of hardware and development tools that help increase their development efficiency and improve 3D performance quality."
New Features Help Reduce Development Time
With GPU PerfStudio 2.0, AMD is introducing a newly written GPU Performance Analysis tool and an extensive feature set including:
* Frame Debugger, allowing developers to freeze applications on a single frame for detailed inspection;
* Shader Debugger, for the live debugging of HLSL and ASM pixel shaders;
* and Frame Profiler, which quickly identifies performance bottlenecks and optimization opportunities.
In internal testing of GPU PerfStudio 2.0, AMD software engineers measured significant time savings.

ATI FirePro(TM) V7750 From AMD Delivers Blazing Application Performance, Freeing Professionals to Create, Not Wait

today announced the availability of the ATI FireProTm65.48, -1.55, -2.31%) V7750 graphics accelerator for the high-end market, ideally suited for graphics professionals working in engineering, digital content creation and scientific fields. These professionals need a 3D graphics accelerator that can quickly handle large models and shader-intensive applications, while delivering accurate color reproduction and superior visual quality. The ATI FirePro V7750 delivers features that matter most to these users at $899 MSRP.
"Creating astounding visuals for movies is a tremendous challenge - it has to look absolutely perfect, but time is always of the essence," said Jabbar Raisani, visual effects expert, Troublemaker Studios. "The ATI FirePro V7750 graphics accelerator helps me achieve flawless effects fast by speeding up rendering so I can focus on creating content rather than waiting for it. I need stable and robust performance graphics hardware to get the job done quickly and the ATI FirePro V7750 is the perfect solution."
"AMD technology helps me stay ahead of the artistic curve. Their new workstation graphics are playing a key role in the realization of my upcoming movies," said Robert Rodriquez, Director, Troublemaker Studios.
"With the introduction of the ATI FirePro V7750 graphics accelerator, AMD's ATI Professional Graphics group is well positioned to increase its presence in the high-end segment of the market, complementing our solid showing in the entry-level and mid-range," said Janet Matsuda, senior director, AMD Professional Graphics. "Professional content creators will appreciate the ATI FirePro V7750's outstanding application performance, 1GB of frame-buffer memory and 30-bit display pipeline - all available for under a thousand dollars."
The ATI FirePro V7750 graphics accelerator is available on HP workstations. Companies use HP workstations to design everything from running shoes to race cars, animated characters to deep-sea submersibles, and to manage everything from billions of dollars of tradable securities to mission-critical IT environments.
"HP delivers workstations that provide a superior performance and user experience for professionals at the top of their fields," said Jeff Wood, director of Worldwide Marketing, Workstations, HP. "We continue to work with AMD to deliver quality products that serve our customers' needs."
Based on a new generation GPU with 320 unified stream processing units, the ATI FirePro V7750's ultra parallel processing architecture maximizes throughput by automatically directing graphics horsepower where it's needed. Intelligent management of computational resources enables enhanced utilization of the GPU to enable real-time rendering of complex, large models and scenes while increasing interactivity when animating. In addition, the card accelerates ATI Stream applications, utilizing the GPU to offload the CPU for specific compute-intensive workloads.
"AMD has been gaining market share for the last three quarters of calendar year 2008," said Dr. Jon Peddie, of Jon Peddie Research, "and even though the fourth quarter was a tough quarter for the workstation market as a whole, AMD could at least take some consolation in the strength of its professional graphics product line-up, which is as compelling as anything in the industry and delivers industry-standard ViewPERF scores that back up their thrust at all price points."
The ATI FirePro V7750 also features cutting edge connectivity capabilities, including multiple DisplayPort outputs and a Dual Link enabled DVI output,

which together, generate a multi-monitor desktop of more than 5000 pixels wide in a single-slot form factor. With 1GB of frame buffer memory and a 30-bit display pipeline, the ATI FirePro V7750 enables rendering of more accurate color reproduction and superior visual quality of complex and large data sets.
"SolidWorks(ర: 28.26, -1.5492, -5.2%) users demand products with superior performance, such as the ATI FirePro V7750, to enable real-time rendering but without the traditional hang-ups," said Nick Iwaskow, Manager of Alliances, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corp. "The top-to-bottom feature set and performance of the new ATI FirePro(TM 65.48, -1.55, -2.31%) product family can give our SolidWorks users the efficiency to boost productivity and creativity."
Designed and engineered to operate in a wide range of professional operating environments, including Microsoft Windows(R 28.26, -1.5492, -5.2%) XP, Windows విస్తస్ 28.26, -1.5492, -5.2%) and Linux, ATI FirePro 3D graphics accelerators are thoroughly tested and certified at AMD test labs based on industry standards. AMD works closely with leading ISV partners, including Autodesk and Dassault Systemes, to implement optimizations that enable their software solutions to take better advantage of the latest hardware developments.
Pricing and Availability
The new ATI FirePro V7750 graphics accelerator is available now with an MSRP of $899. ATI FirePro graphics accelerators are available from OEMs, system integrators and channel partners worldwide.
-- Get more information on ATI FirePro V7750 graphics accelerator on AMD.com
-- Check out the supporting videos for the new ATI FirePro(TM: 65.48, -1.55, -2.31%) V7750 graphics accelerator: Dan Schikore, Vice President of Engineering, CEI Stuart Reed Director of Product Systems and Graphics Development Group of Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corp. Ron Bates, Manager of Graphical Applications, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corp. Paul Sagar, Product Manager, Computer Aided Design Solutions, PTC Team members from Troublemaker Studios
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD: 3.36, -0.1701, -4.82%) is an innovative technology company dedicated to collaborating with customers and partners to ignite the next generation of computing and graphics solutions at work, home and play. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.
Cautionary Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the company's participation in the high-end segment of the workstation graphic accelerator market, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are commonly identified by words such as "would," "may," "expects," "believes," "plans," "intends," "projects" and other terms with similar meaning. Investors are cautioned that the forward-looking statements in this release are based on current beliefs, assumptions and expectations, speak only as of the date of this release and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. Risks include the possibility that Intel Corporation's pricing, marketing and rebating programs, product bundling, standard setting,

product introductions or other activities targeting AMD's business will prevent attainment of AMD's current plans; the company's Asset Smart strategy will be less beneficial than anticipated; customers stop buying the company's products or materially reduce their operations or demand for its products; the company will be unable to develop, launch and ramp new products and technologies in the volumes and mix required by the market and at mature yields on a timely basis; demand for computers and, in turn,

demand for the company's products will be lower than currently expected; there will be unexpected variations in market growth and demand for the company's products and technologies in light of the product mix that it may have available at any particular time or a decline in demand; and the company will be unable to maintain the level of investment in research and development that is required to remain competitive. Investors are urged to review in detail the risks and uncertainties in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 27, 2008.
Copyright 2009, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, ATI, the ATI logo, FirePro, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners

AMD Demonstrates Optimized Executions of Havok Middleware on AMD Platforms

AMD, Inc. (NYSE: AMD) and Havok, the premier provider of interactive software for physics simulation and content development, are presenting new, optimized executions of Havok's physics middleware on AMD platforms at the 2009 Game Developers Conference. The demonstrations include the first OpenCL supported execution of Havok Cloth(TM).

Havok offers a complete modular suite of products that help visual and interactive content developers create more realistic games and cinematic special effects. As the latest software developer to take advantage of ATI Stream technology to leverage multi-core architectures and accelerate execution of highly parallel functions, like real-time cloth simulation, Havok will enable game developers to offer improved performance and interactivity across a broad range of OpenCL capable PCs.

AMD has recently introduced optimized platform technologies, such as "Dragon" desktop platform technology, which balance performance between the CPU and GPU with ATI Stream technology to deliver outstanding value.
"Havok is committed to delivering highly optimized cross-platform solutions to our game customers and we are pleased to be working with AMD to ensure that gamers enjoy a great user experience when running Havok-powered games on AMD platforms," said David Coghlan, vice president of development for Havok.

"Unlocking the parallel processing capability of AMD's hardware provides real advantages to our customers, and the greater the total computing resources available, the better the gaming experience developers can deliver."
"Havok's awesome toolset has allowed us to deliver astonishing physics interactions in our games, including detailed real-time destruction and complex ragdoll models, and we are excited about using ATI Stream technology to pursue more astounding in-game accomplishments," said Andrey Iones, chief operating officer of Saber Interactive. "We are excited that AMD and Havok are working together and leveraging an open standard like OpenCL."
Additional detail on ATI Stream technology can be found at www.amd.com/stream.
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is an innovative technology company dedicated to collaborating with customers and technology partners to ignite the next generation of computing and graphics solutions at work, home and play. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.
AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Opteron and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners

AMD lawyer: Intel would 'like us dead'

In the wake of the latest kerfuffle between Advanced Micro Devices and Intel, AMD's chief counsel seized the moment to sound off on a primal fear at his company: Intel is bent on its destruction. Intel, of course, doesn't quite see it that way.
After Intel accused AMD on Monday of breaching a 2001 patent cross-license agreement with Intel, AMD's top lawyer had some choice words for its bigger rival.
In a phone interview Tuesday, AMD general counsel Harry Wolin refuted Intel's claim that the AMD manufacturing spin-off Globalfoundries is not a subsidiary--and thus cannot legally use Intel intellectual property--and talked more broadly about Intel's tactics.
Intel's ultimate goal, Wolin believes, is to crush rivals into oblivion. "In their perfect world, we wouldn't exist. If they had to deal with the government every now and then, that's fine, and they're still extracting monopoly profits from the industry," he said.
Wolin doesn't buy into the oft-repeated theory that Intel needs AMD to keep the industry honest and to keep the U.S. government at bay. "I don't agree with the premise that they have to have us and they think they have to have us. I think they would absolutely like us dead," Wolin said.
The Dickensian depiction of AMD as the impoverished, distressed victim of Intel's bullying and manipulation is inaccurate and, more importantly, misses the relevant point, according to Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy. "It's nice of them to try to speak for us. AMD has been a competitor for almost 40 years in one form or another. This is not about AMD going away," he said. "This is about our rights and AMD's rights under the patent cross-license agreement."
Ashok Kumar, an analyst at investment bank Collins Stewart, said the premise of a remorselessly predatory Intel set on killing off its rivals is attention-getting but not that realistic.
"Could Intel put them out of business? Probably. But is it a likely outcome? I don't think so," he said. "Because they'll get a lot of significant push back from the OEMs (PC makers). The OEMs will essentially be making a beeline to Washington, D.C."
Intel contends this is a very localized dispute about whether Globalfoundries is a subsidiary or not, and not a manufactured issue "to distract the world from the global antitrust scrutiny (Intel) faces," as AMD said in a statement Monday. "AMD cannot unilaterally extend Intel's licensing rights to a third party without Intel's consent," said Bruce Sewell, senior vice president and general counsel for Intel, in a statement on Monday. Intel maintains the issue is that Globalfoundries is 34.2 percent owned by AMD and 65.8 percent-plus owned by Advanced Technology Investment Co., an investment company. So, in effect, Globalfoundries is not an AMD subsidiary.
Wrong, AMD says. It is not about ownership. AMD has met the conditions that qualify it as a subsidiary. "It requires that AMD originally contributed at least 50 percent of the assets. If you look at the fact that we've thrown in the German factories, we've thrown in the people, we've thrown in the technology, we've thrown in the intellectual property. I don't think there's any credible argument that says we haven't thrown in more than 50 percent of this. It says nothing about owning. It says you have to originally contribute 50 percent of the assets," Wolin said.
And what happens from here?
"Let's say the parties end up in a lawsuit at the end of 60 days," Wolin said. (Intel says it will terminate AMD's rights and licenses under the cross license in 60 days if the alleged breach has not been corrected.) "Well, you know, that lawsuit doesn't come to court for years and wouldn't come to court until well after the antitrust suit would come to court, which is currently scheduled for February of next year," according to Wolin.
Intel says the next step is mediation, where Globalfoundries is brought to the table. If this doesn't resolve the issue, then they would both be off to the races and the lawsuits would बेगिन.

AMD Supports Microsoft Windows(R) 7 in ATI Catalyst(TM) 9.3 Unified Driver, Delivering Unsurpassed Stability and Key Performance Enhancements

----AMD (NYSE: AMD) today released Windows(R) 7 driver support as part of the latest ATI Catalyst 9।3 unified graphics driver। ATI Catalyst 9.3 represents the industry's first unified driver installation package to incorporate Windows(TM) 7 support, including Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.1 compliance, bringing with it a host of benefits for developers currently testing and updating applications using the widely available Windows 7 beta release. In addition, the inclusion of Windows 7 drivers sends a clear message to the millions of AMD graphics customers worldwide - ATI Catalyst 9.3, and every planned future release of ATI Catalyst, is ready for the final release of Windows 7.

In addition to the rock-solid stability of ATI Radeon(TM) graphics drivers for Windows 7, the combination of Windows 7 and ATI Radeon graphics permits developers to fully utilize the DirectX 10.1 API used by Microsoft to design the Windows 7 Aero desktop. Graphics with hardware support for the DirectX 10.1 API, currently available in ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3000 and ATI Radeon(TM) HD 4000 series products, can deliver the full Windows 7 Aero desktop PC experience, including support of new features such as Aero Peek and Aero Shake, both designed to improve navigation of the Windows 7 desktop.
"AMD's expertise in visual computing shines through in the combined experience of Windows 7 and ATI Radeon graphics," said Anantha Kancherla, group program manager responsible for Windows graphics, Microsoft. "With today's release of a Windows 7 unified driver, AMD once again demonstrates its ability to deliver performance and cutting-edge driver support."
Matching ATI Radeon graphics with Windows 7 can deliver high-fidelity graphics as well as unsurpassed image enhancements such as:
-- support for the Direct2D API introduced in Windows 7, giving third-party applications the ability to improve everything from ClearType text rendering to hardware-accelerated vector graphics
-- enhanced Windows 7 acceleration, delivering an outstanding Windows experience
-- smooth, crystal-clear playback of multimedia, including high-definition video on HD-capable screens
-- incredible 3D game performance in single- and multi-GPU CrossFireX(TM) technology configurations.
"Thanks to the incredible expertise within our driver development team, we led the Windows Vista transition with a WHQL-certified unified driver that delivered industry-leading stability," said Ben Bar-Haim, corporate vice president, Software Engineering, Graphics Products Group, AMD. "The advanced state of our Windows 7 drivers this far ahead of the final Windows 7 release is yet another proof point of our graphics industry leadership. We are ready for Windows 7."
To take advantage of the industry's first unified graphics driver for Windows 7, please visit www.amd.com.
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is an innovative technology company dedicated to collaborating with customers and technology partners to ignite the next generation of computing and graphics solutions at work, home and play. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.
AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, the ATI logo, ATI Radeon, Catalyst and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microsoft, DirectX and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the US and other jurisdictions. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

IBM Unveils Smart Technologies, Services to Help Combat Mounting Global Water Issues

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - WORLD WATER FORUM -- IBM today unveiled its first portfolio of smart water services and technologies, and a scientific breakthrough -- a more energy efficient membrane that quickly and reliably filters out salts and deadly toxins, such as arsenic.

Using advanced analytics, developed by mathematicians in IBM Research, as well as the company's information management, technology services, and business consulting capabilities, IBM's new Strategic Water Management Solutions include the following offerings to help governments, water utilities, and companies across many industries monitor and manage water more effectively:
Natural Water Resources -- Provides sensor data integration, analysis and visualization to enable the measurement, modeling and management of water levels, usage and quality in natural water resources. Water Utilities -- Enables water providers to make rapid decisions regarding business processes and operational efficiency to maximize their return on investments as well as foresee and quickly respond to contamination issues and emergencies.

Water Infrastructure -- Provides sensing systems for managing water infrastructure, such as levee oversight management and flood control. Water Metering -- Improves management of water supply and demand by integrating data between the dozens of stakeholders involved. Provides all stakeholders with consistent, real-time information to help them work together to make critical decisions about water supply in a geographic region.

Green Sigma for Water (TM) -- is a business consulting service that identifies where water is being used, measures and monitors usage, and creates process improvements to reduce water use. IBM pilots have achieved reductions in water usage of 30%.
IBM also announced:
Achievements of the SmartBay sensor system, which monitors wave conditions, marine life and pollution levels in and around Galway Bay, Ireland. The system, developed by IBM and the Marine Institute of Ireland, provides real-time information to stakeholders in the Irish maritime economy, runs on a cloud computing platform, and is able to predict water conditions critical to those stakeholders. New reports that explore public and private sector water issues, and discuss the connection between water management and data management.

Cisco goes up against IBM, HP in computer server market

Cisco Systems (CSCO) jumped into the fiercely competitive computer server market on Monday — a move that not only pits it against longtime partners IBM (IBM)and Hewlett-Packard, (ಃ) but could trigger a series of acquisitions in the tech industry.Ending months of speculation, Cisco said it will sell powerful computer servers for data centers, facilities used to house computer systems and related components such as telecommunications and storage systems.

As the dominant provider of routers and switches that direct Internet traffic, Cisco's big advantage is that its network equipment is already ubiquitous in data centers.Cisco says that by combining its new servers with networking and storage products, it will help customers manage their data centers more cheaply and efficiently.

This "gives us a chance to perhaps become the leading company not just in communications but also in IT along with our partners," Cisco CEO John Chambers said in a videoconference.The announcement highlights data centers as a new battleground as large customers manage Internet traffic and escalating energy costs, analysts say.

"Cisco is making a deep push into (a market), which has historically been the home turf of entrenched players such as HP and IBM," says Mark Sue, managing director of technology research at RBC Capital Markets. FIND MORE STORIES IN: Internet International Bus. Machines Hewlett-Packard RBC Capital Markets Cisco Mark Sue Brocade Communications Systems Citrix Systems The announcement had little impact on Cisco shares, down 6 cents to $15.45 Monday.

But the move is considered important as Cisco looks to expand its $40 billion in annual revenue. Its foray into the server market is considered a direct challenge to market leaders IBM and HP, which resell Cisco's network equipment to shared customers.This could prompt IBM and HP to pursue alliances or acquisitions to compete with Cisco, Sue and other analysts say. Potential acquisition targets often mentioned include data-equipment maker Brocade Communications Systems and infrastructure-software maker Citrix Systems.

IBM spokesman Michael Corrado says it is not unusual for tech companies to be both partners and competitors. But HP's Jim Ganthier says, "HP is delivering today what Cisco is promising tomorrow."

OLPC to Ditch Old Friend AMD for ARM-Based Processors

Despite being an original sponsor of the OLPC project, AMD processors will not be used in the upcoming XO-2 touchscreen netbook. Instead, in an interesting move, ARM chips will take on the computing load.
OLPCs CTO Ed McNierney said in an interview today that the 5 watts of power used by the XO is too much for them. By switching to an ARM processor in the XO-2, they could get that number down to under a watt. This would benefit factors such as battery life considerably.
But on the other end of the spectrum, Windows doesn't really work without an x86 processor, which means that in all likelihood, the OS will be some sort of Linux variant. Not that's necessarily a bad thing: the upcoming Touch Book from Always Innovating also uses an ARM processor, and puts down some serious battery life in addition to rendering 3D graphics in OpenGL.

Intel Kept Global Chip Crown in 2008, AMD Fell From Top Ten

Microprocessor maker Intel retained its title of world's largest chip maker last year, while rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) fell from the top ten, according to market researcher iSuppli.
Only a handful of chip makers in the top 25 managed to increase revenue last year as consumer demand slumped amid a global recession. The story of the year for chip makers was that large companies performed worse overall than their smaller rivals, said iSuppli.
Intel commanded a 13.1 percent share of global chip industry revenue last year, according to iSuppli, despite a slight year-over-year drop in revenue to US$33.8 billion.
Samsung Electronics, Intel's closest competitor, remained in second place by taking a 6.5 percent share of global chip market revenue, despite a big drop in prices for its main products, DRAM and NAND flash memory.
Intel's main processor market rival, AMD, was the only chip maker that made the top 10 in 2007 to fall off that chart last year. The company's revenue fell 7.8 percent in 2008 to $5.46 billion, as AMD dropped to 12th place globally, from 10th a year earlier.
Texas Instruments (TI) also dropped a place, to fourth from third, amid stronger competition in the mobile phone chip sector. Toshiba took over third place, swapping with TI.
iSuppli noted that several Japanese chip makers benefitted in the poll from a significantly stronger Japanese currency versus the U.S. dollar.
Qualcomm was a major reason for TI's decline, as the company expanded its share of the mobile phone chip sector. The company leaped to 8th place from 13th a year earlier as its revenue expanded 15.3 percent to $6.48 billion.
Hynix Semiconductor suffered the worst revenue decline last year due to the DRAM chip glut. The company fell to 9th place from 6th in 2007 as its revenue dropped by nearly a third, according to iSuppli.
Many of the other companies that posted revenue declines last year were hit hardest in the fourth quarter, iSuppli said.
"The final results show that the market experienced a significant and broad-based decline of 21.5 percent in the fourth quarter," iSuppli said, compared to the market researcher's November prediction of an 8.8 percent drop in the quarter.
Global chip revenue declined 5.2 percent last year to $258.30 billion, according to iSuppli, from $272.57 billion a year earlier.

IBM Wants a Smarter World

That's effectively what IBM (NYSE: IBM) CEO Sam Palmisano says in this year's letter to shareholders. "We will not simply ride out the storm," Palmisano writes. "Rather we will take a long-term view, and go on offense." Damn the torpedoes, the recession, and everything else!
Palmisano points out that IBM is going into this tumultuous time firing on all cylinders.

Earnings per share soared by 24% year over year in 2008, sales improved by 5% to $103.6 billion, and IBM's $14.3 billion of free cash flow (excluding a change in global financing receivables) was the highest in the company's long, blue history. Big Blue has nearly $13 billion of cash equivalents, and it remains profitable any way you slice the numbers.
That sets IBM up to jump on the hottest opportunities out there. To Palmisano, that means investing in a new world order. The Internet has grown up and shrunk our planet in many ways, and it's time to start using that interconnectedness to run everything "smarter." That means tackling problems "like wasting too much energy. Like spending too much time in traffic.

Like producing food too expensively, and wasting too much of what we produce." All can be ameliorated with smart use of technology, Palmisano says. And IBM wants to be the company that makes it all happen.
IBM's early efforts in "smart" infrastructure technology around the world have already decongested Stockholm, improved water management in Brazil, and started work on an automated power grid in Malta. IBM has also partnered up with Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) for smarter electronic storage of health records.
With such a large war chest and a well-defined plan of attack, IBM seems poised to make this "smart world" vision a reality, but that's not to say there won't be competition. Fellow technology giant Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO) is having similar dreams with its "sustainable city" initiative, and it also has the resources to race IBM to the top of this summit.

Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) seem like the next logical competitors to enter this new landscape. Even Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) could share this vision -- it certainly has the required assets. These wounded giants are all ready to encapsulate this moment in history and remake their futures, armed with cash-rich balance sheets and visionary leaders.

IBM Introduces First-of-a-Kind Endpoint Security Offering

ARMONK, NY - Today, IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced a first-of-a-kind endpoint security offering, IBM Proventia Endpoint Secure Control (ESC), that is designed to enable enterprises to escape from the constraints of vendor lock-in and to enhance endpoint security, compliance and operations at a lower cost. This new endpoint security offering is delivered by IBM Internet Security Systems (IBM ISS) leveraging IBM's depth in security experience and technology from BigFix, Inc. for endpoint security management.
The IBM ISS solution delivers endpoint security management designed to address two major problems in the industry today: the escalating cost of security and the growing complexity of endpoint security management. Companies today face a dilemma, they either have to choose between managing dozens of point security products separately to meet their needs or lock into one vendor who doesn't. The single vendor suites in the marketplace today are often a result of multiple security acquisitions that haven't been adequately integrated so that customers still need to manage separate point products. Further, the strategy that locks-in clients to one provider allows vendors to remain complacent instead of innovating to provide the strongest security on the market.

Both scenarios can mean rising operational and licensing costs for customers, and fall short when it comes to providing best-of-breed security. The IBM Proventia Endpoint Secure Control offering balances customer needs with a single security management interface and flexible choice of some of the best security solutions in the marketplace to address those needs.

In addition, according to the 2008 IBM X-Force Annual Trend and Risk report released in early February, client-side vulnerabilities are at an all time high and end-users are key targets to fall prey to attacks. In fact, the report indicates that the number of new malicious Web sites in the fourth quarter of 2008 alone surpassed the number seen in the entirety of 2007 by 50 percent. Seemingly innocent applications such as document readers and editors experienced a 162 percent increase in vulnerabilities, while vulnerabilities in often used multimedia applications increased by 127 percent.

As employees unknowingly access these malicious web sites and applications through their corporate machines, endpoint security is critical. With IBM Proventia ESC, IBM ISS will leverage the endpoint offering to help deliver 'ahead of the threat' X-Force security content.

'Scattered layoffs' in IBM can touch 4,600: Report

NEW YORK: Technology giant IBM is resorting to "scattered layoffs" and the total could be nearly 4,600 employees in North America even though the
company has reported surprisingly strong quarterly profits in January, a media report says. "Big companies also routinely carry out scattered layoffs that are small enough to stay under the radar... and IBM is one such company," the New York Times said. Interestingly, after reporting strong quarterly profits in January, its Chief Executive Samuel J Palmisano in an e-mail message to employees said that while other companies were reducing jobs, his company would not.

"Most importantly, we will invest in our people," he wrote. But the next day, the New York Times said "more than 1,400 employees in IBM's sales and distribution division in the United States and Canada were told their jobs would be eliminated in a month.

More cuts followed, and overall, IBM has told about 4,600 North American employees in recent weeks that their jobs are vanishing." Quoting J Randall MacDonald, IBM's senior vice-president for human resources, the newspaper said "it was routine for the company to lay off some employees while hiring elsewhere".

IBM unlikely to bid for Satyam stake: sources

bid for Satyam Computer Services Ltd as the advantage of expanding in India is outweighed by the legal and financial risks related to Satyam's accounting scandal, according to people familiar with the matter.
Satyam (SATY.BO) (SAY.N) won regulatory approval on Friday to sell a majority stake in itself, about two months after founder and Chairman Ramalinga Raju admitted the information technology outsourcer's profits had been inflated for years and its assets falsified.

Earlier this week, India's Business Standard newspaper said International Business Machines Corp (IBM.N) was the "front-runner" to buy Satyam and had brought in a team of bankers and lawyers from the United States and Europe to India to assess the deal size and risks.

But two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters that IBM had not flown a team to India and was unlikely to be interested in bidding for Satyam. It is unclear whether IBM, which declined to comment, has hired financial advisers.

Rumors of IBM's interest in Satyam have circulated for years, as the two compete on technology outsourcing and computer-related services.
Buying Satyam, India's fourth-largest software exporter, could help IBM expand its geographic presence, but analysts say the Armonk, New York-based company already has a lead in India with customers that include top wireless provider Bharti Airtel(BRTI.BO).

Compared to Satyam, IBM -- the world's largest technology services company -- also offers a fuller range of software and services including high-end consulting projects that bring in high margins.
"IBM already has a brand in India," said Susquehanna Financial Group analyst James Friedman. "I don't know that Satyam is going to help that."
Even if IBM were interested, it would be tough to get a fair assessment of Satyam's valuation, making an acquisition difficult, Friedman added. Fraud-hit Satyam's market value has plunged to about $550 million, from $7 billion last May.
LOOKING BUT NOT BUYING
Technology bankers and analysts say they expect IBM, which has about $12 billion of cash, to take a look at Satyam's assets once its government-approved board invites formal expressions of interest.
But one person familiar with the sale process said a key issue that could deter IBM or another potential buyer is the lack of clarity on the extent of Satyam's liabilities. Satyam faces a class-action lawsuit from U.S. shareholders that any new owner would have to assume some degree of liability for.
David Grossman, an analyst at Thomas Weisel Partners, said some Satyam capabilities, such as their partnership with SAP (SAPG.DE) (SAP.N), would hold value for IBM "but you have to balance that against the liabilities that exist."
"Balancing risk and reward, I don't see an immediate need for IBM to buy," he said.
Bankers and analysts also listed Hewlett-Packard Co (HPQ.N) and Computer Sciences Corp (CSC.N) as other U.S. companies that could be interested in Satyam. HP and CSC declined to comment

IMB satisfied with restrictions on children's cough medicines

THE IRISH Medicines Board (IMB) has said it is satisfied with the current restrictions in place in the Republic around cough and cold medicines for children.
Its comments came yesterday after its UK counterpart, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), issued new advice to parents warning that certain cough and cold remedies should not be used on children under six years. These include some Beechams, Benilyn and Lemsip products.
In addition, it said on Saturday that, following a review, it was going to take steps to ensure certain cough and cold remedies for children aged six to 12 years would in future only be sold in pharmacies. A year ago it ordered six cough and cold products to be removed from sale for children under two years.
The MHRA said the changes were being made to promote the safer use of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children under 12 years of age. Its review found “no robust evidence that these medicines work and they can cause side effects such as allergic reactions, effects on sleep or hallucinations”.
Asked if similar steps would be taken here, the IMB said there were only a limited number of cough and cold medicines licensed for children under six years of age in Ireland. “These products are not on general sale and are available in pharmacies only,” it said.
These would include certain Benylin cough syrups specifically for children aged two to 12 years. However, most of the Lemsip powders for cold and flu here have a warning on the box stating they should not be given to children under 12 years.
The IMB spokeswoman said: “The IMB is satisfied with the current restrictions in place for cough and cold medicines for children in Ireland.”
However, it urged parents to be careful about giving any medicine to children. “Before any medicine is administered to a child parents are advised to read the patient information leaflet carefully and consult with their GP or pharmacist as appropriate.”
Meanwhile, the use of cough and cold medicines in children is currently under review at European level and the IMB is participating in this review.

Human Solutions to present LC2 3D body scanner at IMB

The Human Solutions Company of Kaiserslautern, Germany will once again take part in this year's World Fair for Clothing Technology and Textile Processing and will introduce its products from its own large booth: From the 21th thru the 24th of Apri, the company will exhibit trendsetting clothing solutions at the IMB 2009 in Cologne in Hall 8.1, Booth C 010 / D 011.

The company will introduce an Exhibition first - the presentation of the LC2, the most favorably-priced 3D body scanner, and the most comprehensive body scan database in the world. Human Solution will highlight the following fields of expertise at the IMB - Fit, tables of sizes/optimization of market share, virtual Try-On/virtual product development, computer-supported customized clothing without try-ons and the determination of sizes for workwear."We realize human beings in a virtual world – for better, correct-fitting and consequently more successful products worldwide.

With our solutions for the apparel industry, textile manufacturers can actively participate in the era of the correct fit. We're looking forward to interesting discussions with our customers at the Exhibition", said Dr. Andreas Seidl, Managing Director of the Human Solutions Company.

A preview of the key products at the Human Solutions booth:• International body scan database: optimizes product development for foreign markets• Virtual Try-On: increases effective purchasing time for more sales• Made-to-Measure Suits: saves time and creates higher product quality without tailor's know-how at the POS• SizeGermany: optimized ready-made tables and determination of market share• SizeFitting: reduces warehousing costs by up to 70%• Virtual House Model: saves time and reduced the effort involved in collection development
Human Solutions GmbH

AMD, Nvidia play dueling graphics chip launches

AMD and Nvidia each launched graphics chips Tuesday, but the big question is whether consumers will buy them. Both announcements were timed with the CeBit confab in Hanover, Germany.
First, AMD rolled out its ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 and 4830. These chips are billed as the “world’s first graphics processors to harness 40nm process technology.” ATI’s latest Radeons are designed for gaming and high-def multimedia with longer battery life .
The 4860 will be featured in the Asus K notebook. AMD says its 40nm manufacturing process packs more processing power in a smaller die size.
Nvidia also rolled out four GeForce graphics processors designed for high performance Nvidia said that its GeForce GTX 280M is the fastest notebook graphics processor on the market.
Nvidia’s lineup includes:
GeForce GTX 280M and 260M GPUs for enthusiast notebooks.
GeForce GTS 160M and 150M GPUs for high-performance, thin notebooks.
Like AMD, Nvidia is pitching its graphics processors as a way to deliver high-def multimedia and better games while saving on battery power. ASUS, Clevo and MSI are showing notebooks based on the new chips.
The big elephant in the room is whether there’s much of a market for enthusiast notebooks, which tend to be pricey. With overall PC demand down, it’s unclear whether these graphics chips will be big sellers in the early going.

Intel Samples AMD's Asset-Light Strategy

Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) is making new friends. The chip giant wants to spread Atom processors as far afield as possible, so it just signed up Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM) to help manufacture boatloads of those low-power processors.
In doing so, Intel is treading in the large footsteps of Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN). It's also validating the boldest move archrival Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) has made in ages. Welcome to the asset-light manufacturing club, Intel:
Just the facts Watching Intel hook up with TSMC is no shocker. The two have been at each other's throat over manufacturing-process technologies for years, often racing to the next, smaller trace width, or jostling to implement fancy new technologies like low-k dielectrics and strained silicon. Intel was handling all of its own manufacturing, except for some memory chips made in cooperation with memory expert Micron (NYSE: MU).

Then, last summer, the trans-Pacific rivals embraced in a warm and fluffy agreement to push 450-mm chip wafer technology. Samsung was in on that partnership, too, while AMD stewed on the sidelines, hurling occasional catcalls: "Premature!" "300-mm is enough!" "Not worth the investment!" Despite its booing, Intel and TSMC ultimately sowed the seeds of cooperation.

Now, that seed has blossomed into a full-blown technology platform agreement. TSMC's chip-designing customers such as Marvell (Nasdaq: MRVL) and QUALCOMM (Nasdaq: QCOM) may be able to design new systems-on-a-chip around Intel's Atom core, and have them made in TSMC's factories. Intel CEO Paul Otellini says that the move will let other processor designers "customize the implementation precisely to their needs."
It's not exactly an outsourcing contract, since these Atom-based chips would presumably be designed by third-party semiconductor companies. But in some ways, it goes further than a vanilla production-line agreement. Intel is giving others broader access to what is arguably its hottest product right now, and handing off large chunks of the processor-design pipeline to others.

What does it all mean?

So it's a low-risk version of the asset-light model that predecessors like TI or QUALCOMM have embraced. Collecting license fees on third-party products carries higher margins than inserting a new middleman in the manufacturing process, as AMD is doing. But the strategic similarities are striking nonetheless.
This is obviously great news for TSMC. It's also a bit of a condescending pat from Intel on AMD's tousled scalp, and it might give Intel a taste for bigger asset-light moves in the future. In short, everybody wins. (Except maybe AMD.) This deal is a recipe for sectorwide success in these lean times.

IMB remains top international business platform of the sector

IMB 2009 — World of Textile Processing — the leading international procurement, service, and information platform for all types of technologies and services for processing flexible materials remains on track despite the difficult economic climate. In 2009, IMB will continue to present an extensive spectrum of products and services that is unparalleled anywhere in the world."The most important companies in the sector from 40 countries will present their products and services at IMB 2009 to a broad international audience", says Udo Traeger, Vice President for Furniture, Interior Design & Textiles, Koelnmesse GmbH.

Rumors stating that this leading trade fair will be moved to a later date are harming the sector and must be vehemently challenged. The organizers are aware that the sector is currently experiencing economically difficult times. Udo Traeger: "We will unfortunately be confronted with some cancellations, but they won't unsettle the position of IMB being the world's leading trade fair for the textile processing industry. Precisely in 2009, IMB will be the outstanding platform for industry and trade .

"Elgar Straub, Managing Director of the VDMA German Garment and Leather Technology Association agrees: "Where else can market participants find the opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss feasible future concepts at a high international level, than at a first-class trade fair like IMB?" Exhibitors who pull out now will ultimately harm themselves. The damage caused to their image amongst customers will be felt for years to come.Koelnmesse perceives IMB 2009 as an ideal tool for exhibitors to successfully counteract the negative tendencies caused by the current economic climate."Trade fairs are an anti-cyclical marketing medium.

They are especially important during unfavorable economic conditions, as they provide the necessary opportunity to exchange ideas and try to find solutions for the future together", says Traeger. For Dietrich Eickhoff, Head of Sales & Marketing at the Dürkopp Adler Group, IMB is also an essential tool for reaching important customer target groups: "At IMB we meet our most important customers from Germany and abroad. These target groups will expect us and our innovations and current product ranges to be represented at this leading trade fair.

This means that as a business platform, IMB is especially this year of the utmost importance for us. Therefore, in 2009 we will once again present a wide ranging program of sewing technology with technical solutions and innovations for all target groups."Trade visitors haven't shown any reservations yet about coming to Cologne in April.

The amount of admission tickets that have already been sold signifies the continuing interest in IMB World of Textile Processing by the trade visitor target groups. This is largely due to the trade fair concept, which brings all relevant target groups in the market together and provides an outstanding platform for them to engage in dialog.

IMB satisfied with restrictions on children's cough medicines

THE IRISH Medicines Board (IMB) has said it is satisfied with the current restrictions in place in the Republic around cough and cold medicines for children.
Its comments came yesterday after its UK counterpart, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), issued new advice to parents warning that certain cough and cold remedies should not be used on children under six years. These include some Beechams, Benilyn and Lemsip products.
In addition, it said on Saturday that, following a review, it was going to take steps to ensure certain cough and cold remedies for children aged six to 12 years would in future only be sold in pharmacies. A year ago it ordered six cough and cold products to be removed from sale for children under two years.
The MHRA said the changes were being made to promote the safer use of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children under 12 years of age. Its review found “no robust evidence that these medicines work and they can cause side effects such as allergic reactions, effects on sleep or hallucinations”.
Asked if similar steps would be taken here, the IMB said there were only a limited number of cough and cold medicines licensed for children under six years of age in Ireland. “These products are not on general sale and are available in pharmacies only,” it said.
These would include certain Benylin cough syrups specifically for children aged two to 12 years. However, most of the Lemsip powders for cold and flu here have a warning on the box stating they should not be given to children under 12 years.
The IMB spokeswoman said: “The IMB is satisfied with the current restrictions in place for cough and cold medicines for children in Ireland.”
However, it urged parents to be careful about giving any medicine to children. “Before any medicine is administered to a child parents are advised to read the patient information leaflet carefully and consult with their GP or pharmacist as appropriate.”
Meanwhile, the use of cough and cold medicines in children is currently under review at European level and the IMB is participating in this review.