Analysts say 'Hondo' tablet chips provide strong opportunity for an AMD rebound
By Sharon Gaudin February 6, 2012

With new CEO Rory Read at the helm for about six months, Advanced Micro Devices has turned its attention to the lucrative and burgeoning tablet market. 

The question is whether it's too late for AMD, which hasn't been at the top of its game recently, to successfully enter a new market, analysts said. "I don't think [AMD is too late]," said Charles King, an analyst at Pund-IT. "The company's focus on a combination of quality graphics performance, energy efficiency and competitive cost should be right down the alley of many tablet makers. "Plus, he added, "rumors of Apple's world domination aside, the tablet market is anything but mature. I expect we'll see any number of challengers rising up and even winning in some markets." Lisa Su, general manager of AMD's Global Business Units, told analysts and reporters last week that the company is going after the tablet market "in a big way." AMD is betting that a new 40-nanometer chip, code-named Hondo, will power Windows 8-based tablets once it starts shipping later this year. AMD and Intel both have been slow to make headway in the mobile market, whether tablets or smartphones. And that's been a problem for both chip giants. As PC sales decline with the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets, tech industry watchers have been waiting for both companies to make a strong move to provide chips for mobile devices.

Read more here –>computerworld.com