The End of x86 Domination: AMD Is Cool With That
The shift to mobile computing emphasizes the split between two distinct markets for the processor vendors that make the brains of computers. There’s the consumer-facing devices, which include everything from smartphone to laptops, and the server side, which offers content to consumer devices through the cloud.
That split is a reaction to how people use their computers. I think it signals the end of the hegemony of the x86 architecture and the end of clock speed as a significant indicator of what a device can do. But I was surprised yesterday to discover that Nigel Dessau, AMD’s SVP and chief marketing officer, agrees. He talked about the bifurcation of the computing industry and how that’s changing the way AMD is designing its chips.
