The PC component market is
evolving at a dynamic rate and an example of this was seen at this
year's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. While
'feature rich' technologies were in demand, focus was on how to
get these technologies in the hands of all. Another interesting trend
in the computing industry is the shift towards visual computing.
There are studies that show that human beings are more inclined
towards visual communication and are looking for gadgets and
equipments that support their need to 'experience' information.
Consumers are looking at systems that support features like HD video
chat, real-time video image improvement, quick content rich
Web-viewing. This explosion of multimedia has created a requirement
for new ways to manage and operate data and the new usage models and
applications are pushing the limits of traditional PC architecture.
There has been a definite
demand increase in the PC sales market, according to IDC India's PC
market review of 2010, this market has grown as much as 31 percent
compared to last year. Moreover, it is expected to grow by 22 percent
in 2011. Obviously an increase in the overall market will
also influence the PC component and hardware segment. It is
interesting to note that manufacturers are focusing on India as an
opportunity, as the region is showing a promising growth for firms. At
href="https://www.dqweek.com/amd-unveils-the-vision-series-1">AMD
we are working towards enabling our partners benefit from this
opportunity in the most effective manner. Moreover, we have also
expanded and strengthened our relationships with motherboard vendors
to make certain that their motherboards are available across all AMD
processors being sold to system builders.
Currently, Asus, Gigabyte,
Asrock, ECS, Jetway, MSI and Biostar are part of our partner list and
have expanded and improved availability of their AMD portfolio across
our key platforms namely Sempron, Athlon and Phenom. The PC market in
India is growing at a faster rate than the global market. While
global PC shipments are expected to cross 352 million to reach 409
million units in 2011, India PC shipments will cross 13 million units
in 2011. India's contribution to the PC shipment markets worldwide
is significant and something to keep a track of. Individually,
whether it is the semiconductor, motherboards or hard drives segment,
the country is showing a great potential, enabling the respective
industries to move up the value chain. For example semiconductor
market is expected to rise due to the rapidly growing domestic market
for electronics equipments.
According to the ISA
F&S
India Semiconductor Market Update report for 2009-2011, the total
market revenues generated in the Indian semiconductor market is
expected to reach $8.04 billion in 2011 at a CAGR of 22.2 percent.
Similarly, the processor market has seen a seven percent growth in
2009-2010. An interesting observation is that the PC growth in India
is being led by India's tier-3 and tier-4 cities. The industry is
witnessing an increasing demand from smaller cities in India, with an
increase in PC penetration. One of the reasons for this growth could
be rising income and declining PC prices.
2011 is going to be the
year of innovation led by consumer demand for multiple cores that
perform different tasks to meet their multiple needs. Also,
manufactures will look at ways for improving existing technology as
customers start demanding more value for every rupee spent. Keeping
the consumer demand in mind is crucial when deciding the on products.
At AMD, we are offering products with best price performance. Also,
what further gives us an advantage over our competition is the fact
that we have a very strong graphics element with AMD Radeon. Our
focus for the coming year will be on customer 'experience'.
Infact, 2011 is going to be the year of AMD FUSION processors.
Recently AMD launched a
new class of accelerated processor that combines more compute
capabilities than any processor in the history of computing. The AMD
Fusion Family of Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) incorporate (in
a single die design) multi-core CPU (x86) technology, a powerful
DirectX 11, a capable discrete-level graphics and parallel processing
engine, a dedicated high-definition video acceleration block, and a
high-speed bus that speeds data across the differing types of
processor cores within the design. Moreover, the new generations of
desktop, notebook and HD netbooks are now available based on AMD
Fusion APUs at affordable price points. Tablets and embedded designs
based on AMD Fusion APUs are expected to be available later in Q1,
2011. The new range of product features include stutter-free HD video
playback, breakthroughs in computational horsepower to handle the
most demanding applications.
Businesses are entering an
upgrade cycle and are demanding better hardware that support the new
generation of computing. Server processors alone have shown good
growth in the recent quarter, rising 4.1 percent in unit sales
according to IDC. Similarly demand for motherboard and hard drives is
set to increase in the first half of 2011. The PC market as a whole
continues to grow at a healthy pace which has in turn improved demand
for components as well.
AMD has entered the market
with a differentiated product that delivers the High-Definition user
experience people expect from their PC. AMD has entered the market at
the right time with the launch of 'Fusion' that will exceed
consumers' expectations. The launch of AMD's Accelerated
Processing Units (APU) provide a great computing experience, design,
all-day battery life and notebooks that stay cool with a
revolutionary single chip. The third era of PC design is defined by
heterogeneous computing; AMD's APU makes this possible through the
parallel processing capability of AMD Fusion processors which will
redefine the next generation of computing.
Absence of pervasive
connectivity in a country like India is impediment to the growth of
mobile Internet devices and related components. The advent of 3G in
India will spur the growth in the semiconductor value chain and PC
ecosystem leading to a ripple effect for demand for motherboards,
processors and hard drives. On the other hand, we need more balance
in the ecosystem, the distribution model of new products needs to be
relooked at, for better customer reach-out. AMD has already launched
a Smart Channel Program to improve customer reach-out and strengthen
channel relations. This will go a long way in improving the ecosystem
and spurring growth for chip design companies and their partners.
The demand for PCs in
India is growing beyond the large cities to tier-2 cities as well.
Rising income and declining PC prices are contributing significantly
to the growth in the PC market leading to an increase in the demand
for PC components. The market has expanded manifold, beyond the
purchase of traditional desktops to notebooks, netbooks, tablets and
e-readers and the trend is expected to accelerate in 2011. The 3G
roll-out across the country is expected to further drive the adoption
of tablet PCs during 2011.
According to IT research
firm IDC, India's PC market is estimated to grow at 22 percent in
2011. Notebooks alone will exhibit a growth of 42 percent and
desktops will exhibit a growth of 9 percent according to the same
study. There is a significant consumer and enterprise shift from the
desktop and laptops to mobile computing. Today, consumers are
expecting processing-intensive applications including video editing
and high-end 3D games. Semiconductor companies are venturing into
32nm to accommodate better graphics processing. Graphics Processing
Units (GPUs) will be an integral part of this growth to provide
better consumer experience at affordable price-points especially in
the mobile segment as it is cost-sensitive. The new power-saving
features present in the single-chip design greatly extend the time
between plug-ins while enjoying high-definition content.
Also, mainstream x86, CPU,
GPU, and memory controller will all live on the same die for the
first time ever. This is an important technology development as it
will improve bandwidth and integration. It will boost the mobile
platform technology as compared to the current generation.