Former AMD CEO Hector Ruiz Offers Advice To Next Intel CEO
It's not often that you hear a CEO of a rival company give tips to the very company that many consider to be its archrival, and that's not exactly what's happening here. But it's close. The former CEO of AMD, Hector Ruiz, has penned a piece over at Bloomberg Businessweek, offering up a few words of wisdom for the person who will be taking over as the next CEO of Intel. He makes clear right from the start that he spent "an important part of his career battling Intel," noting that AMD was undoubtedly the smaller of the two chip-making firms. Holding no punches, he stated that AMD was forced to challenge Intel's "monopolistic practices."
But he's also being forthright about his opinion on what's to come. He says that Intel isn't the same company that it was 10 years ago, "when it could use its dominance to sway nearly every aspect of the computing market in its favor." He points out that 10 years ago, Intel had this market around its finger, but now, things are different -- and they're getting more different each day. You see, desktops and laptops don't rule the world in the same way that they used to. These days, tablets, phones, and impending watches are vying for our attention, and these are the devices and the computers of the future. As Ruiz puts it: "In mobile, Intel is the underdog."
Over the years, Intel has attempted to design chips specifically for use in mobile devices, and while they often show them off at trade shows, very few have come to market. Most pundits point out that Intel is practically incapable of producing a low-power, high-volume chip that could be slotted in something such as the iPhone. Intel's chips have historically sucked down tons of power, which is a deal-breaker in the mobile realm. Ruiz's primary tip is for Intel to split up its businesses, with each one having its own focus. Essentially, the mobile realm is too pointed and specific to be bundled into the same groups that produce Xeon server chips. And in a lot of ways, that makes sense.
He also recommends that Intel not wait any longer to make massive changes. Indeed, Intel's waiting has caused a lot of opportunities to pass it by. Intel chips aren't in the iPhone, and they aren't in the array of Android phones slated to hit later this year. An entire market is exploding and Intel is nowhere to be found. The entire piece is a good read, and can be found there in the Via link below.
But he's also being forthright about his opinion on what's to come. He says that Intel isn't the same company that it was 10 years ago, "when it could use its dominance to sway nearly every aspect of the computing market in its favor." He points out that 10 years ago, Intel had this market around its finger, but now, things are different -- and they're getting more different each day. You see, desktops and laptops don't rule the world in the same way that they used to. These days, tablets, phones, and impending watches are vying for our attention, and these are the devices and the computers of the future. As Ruiz puts it: "In mobile, Intel is the underdog."
Over the years, Intel has attempted to design chips specifically for use in mobile devices, and while they often show them off at trade shows, very few have come to market. Most pundits point out that Intel is practically incapable of producing a low-power, high-volume chip that could be slotted in something such as the iPhone. Intel's chips have historically sucked down tons of power, which is a deal-breaker in the mobile realm. Ruiz's primary tip is for Intel to split up its businesses, with each one having its own focus. Essentially, the mobile realm is too pointed and specific to be bundled into the same groups that produce Xeon server chips. And in a lot of ways, that makes sense.
He also recommends that Intel not wait any longer to make massive changes. Indeed, Intel's waiting has caused a lot of opportunities to pass it by. Intel chips aren't in the iPhone, and they aren't in the array of Android phones slated to hit later this year. An entire market is exploding and Intel is nowhere to be found. The entire piece is a good read, and can be found there in the Via link below.
