AMD expands its R&D in India

Opens fourth facility in the country at Hyderabad to develop cutting-edge tech.

AMD, a global player in processing solutions in computing, graphics and consumer electronics markets, has further expanded its R&D operations in India by opening a new facility in Hyderabad on Friday.

The 30,000 sq ft facility, its second in Hyderabad and the fourth in the country, will work along with its Bangalore facilities to develop cutting-edge technologies that would enable the convergence of PCs and CEs.

The centre currently employs 120 professionals, and is scalable to another 100, Dasaradha R Gude, vice-president and managing director, AMD R&D Centre India, said. The company has a headcount of 650 in the country, with 450 working out of Hyderabad.

Commenting on the company reporting losses for the last three quarters, including a negative impact due to the acquisition of ATI Corporation, Dirk Meyer, president and chief operating officer of AMD, said the company would be back to financial health and start making operating profits from the third quarter of 2008.

According to him, the company plans to launch AMD Fusion, the code name for its next-generation microprocessor, by June 2009, besides looking at developing products that enable Internet access through mobile handsets.

On the agreement with SemIndia for the proposed wafer fabrication and assembly plant-test-mark-pack operations in Hyderabad in November 2005, Meyer said that AMD at present neither has plans to make any investments, nor does it plan to outsource component manufacturing from India.

"AMD will be providing its technical and manufacturing expertise on the project, while SemIndia will be the manufacturing entity," he said, refusing to divulge further details.

AMD currently commands a 21.5 per cent share in the 6.6-million unit processors market in India and enjoys a 23 per cent share globally. "Our vision is to corner half or at least one-third of the 250-million units of the global market, going forward," he said.