AMD奇襲英特爾

????英特爾（Intel）芯片83%是PC芯片，因此在傳統PC市場占有壓倒性的領導地位。但有一個領域，在不久的將來，這家芯片巨頭將不再占據優勢，那就是游戲機。如果報道屬實，Advanced Micro Devices（簡稱AMD)將實現就連競爭對手英特爾也未曾實現過的的目標：將芯片植入所有三大品牌的下一代游戲機中。

????去年秋季推出的任天堂（Nintendo） Wii U游戲機已搭載了AMD的Radeon圖形處理芯片組。(但CPU由IBM制造。）今年2月索尼（Sony）PlayStation 4的發布會上，這家日本巨頭透露稱，這款即將推出的游戲機將搭載基于AMD “Jaguar” 設計的8核處理器，將CPU和圖片處理功能結合在一個晶圓上。而彭博社（Bloomberg）最近也報道稱，微軟（Microsoft）可能于5月21日推出的下一代Xbox游戲機將采用AMD的Jaguar處理器，與PlayStation 4的處理器類似。

????一舉連下三城，究竟意味著什么？它對于開發人員或許是件好事，因為同時針對多款游戲機（特別是PlayStation 4和下一代Xbox）進行開發將變得更加簡單。但它對于AMD來說則意味著更重大的勝利。這家總部位于加州桑尼維爾的半導體公司在2012年過得并不順利，不僅損失了兩位備受肯定的高管——高級副總裁兼首席信息官邁克?沃爾夫和負責全球信息技術的集團副總裁特瑞沃?舒爾茨，公司收入也大減17%，凈虧損近12億美元。

????業績下降很大程度上是因為英特爾對PC市場的絕對控制。當然，傳統PC市場自身已經今非昔比：2013年第一季度，全球PC發貨量下降14%。這已是連續第四個季度下降，這種幅度的PC銷量下滑堪稱歷史最糟，同時也壓縮了AMD的利潤。如今，AMD正在努力扭轉頹勢。2012年第三季度，AMD啟動了重組行動：降低對不景氣的PC業務的關注，著重拓展新的商機，包括670億美元的全球視頻游戲市場。這家公司希望，未來像Jaguar芯片這樣的一體化產品能在公司業務中占據更高的比例，等到PlayStation 4和下一代Xbox游戲機推出之后，它能從當前占總收入的僅5%增至2014年的近20%。

????這些游戲機上市后的表現會如何是另外一個問題。雖然目前這代游戲機獲得了一些巨大成功，包括最熱銷的Xbox和任天堂創新的Wii，沒人能知道新一代游戲機的命運將會如何。比如，開發人員就已經對游戲機游戲的未來表示了擔憂。而且，像蘋果（Apple）iPhone手機、基于谷歌（Google）安卓（Android）系統的智能手機和平板電腦的廣泛使用也已改變了游戲玩家的習慣。而且，雖然PC銷售低迷，但在這個平臺上玩游戲看來在某種程度上已進入了一個復興期。下一代Playstation和Xbox的零售價尚未透露（可能高達每部500美元），任天堂的Wii U售價為299美元。

????但是，AMD非?？春眯碌陌l展方向。AMD副總裁羅伊?泰勒最近告訴硬件博客Bit-Tech稱，他認為AMD將跟隨蘋果和IBM的步伐，成為又一家罕見的、能成功扭轉頹勢的公司。這種話聽起來就像是大家在玩視頻游戲的時候朋友之間的吹牛放炮。不過，退一步說，如果各大視頻游戲機都采用AMD芯片的話，確實能給予AMD一個難得的機會：再試一把。（財富中文網）

????譯者：楊智

????With its processors in 83% of PCs, Intel (INTC) overwhelmingly dominates traditional personal computing. But there's one area where the chip giant won't be winning any time soon: game consoles. If reports prove correct, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) could manage what its competitor hasn't: getting its chips into all three of the major next-generation consoles.

????Nintendo's (NTDOY) Wii U console, launched last fall, already packs a version of AMD's Radeon graphics chipset. (Its CPU, however, is made by IBM (IBM).) At Sony's (SNE) PlayStation 4 event this February, the Japanese giantrevealed that its upcoming console would sport an eight-core processor based on the company's "Jaguar" design, combining the CPU and graphics capabilities on one silicon wafer. And Bloomberg recently reported that Microsoft's (MSFT) next-generation Xbox console, which will likely be announced on May 21, will use an AMD Jaguar processor not unlike the PlayStation 4's.

????What would achieving this kind of trifecta really mean? It may be a boon for developers, making it easier to develop for multiple consoles -- particularly the PlayStation 4 and next-gen Xbox -- simultaneously. It would be an even bigger win for AMD. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., the semiconductor company had a rough 2012, losing two high-profile executives -- senior vice president and chief information officer Mike Wolfe, and corporate vice president for global information technology Trevor Schulze -- as well as seeing its revenues drop 17% with a net loss of nearly $1.2 billion.

????That earnings drop is largely due to Intel's stranglehold on the PC market. Of course, the traditional PC market itself also isn't what it used to be: Worldwide shipments of PCs fell 14% during the first quarter of 2013. It marked the fourth consecutive quarter of decline and worst PC sales drop in history, squeezing AMD's bottom line. AMD is currently trying to pull off a turnaround. During the third quarter of 2012, it initiated a company restructuring, placing less emphasis on sluggish PC sales and focusing on areas of opportunity, including the $67 billion global video game market. The company hopes all-in-one products like its Jaguar chip will become a larger part of the business, from just 5% of overall revenues today to nearly 20% in 2014 -- after the arrivals of the PlayStation 4 and next-gen Xbox.

????How those consoles will fare is another question entirely. While the current generation has seen some wild success, including the best-selling Xbox and Nintendo's original Wii, what will happen with new hardware is anybody's guess. Developers, for one, have expressed doubts about console gaming's future. What's more, the proliferation of devices like Apple's (AAPL) iPhone and Google (GOOG) Android-powered smartphones and tablets has changed consumers' gaming habits. And though PC sales have been dim, gaming on that platform seems to haveentered a renaissance of sorts. Retail prices for the next Playstation and Xbox -- which could cost as much as $500 each -- have yet to be revealed; Nintendo's Wii U costs $299.

????Still, AMD is so bullish on its new direction that vice president Roy Taylor recently told the hardware blog Bit-Tech that he sees the company following in the footsteps of Apple (AAPL) and IBM (IBM), becoming another rare example of a successful tech turnaround. That sounds like the kind of bravado-laced boast one might hear from a friend while playing a video game. At the very least, getting its chips into every major video game console does give AMD a rare opportunity: another shot.