AMD Bets on 'HD Netbooks' with New 2010 VISION Platform

Sunnyvale, California-based Advanced Micro Devices has recently announced the launch of its 2010 VISION platform, an effort to enable an easier choice for consumers looking for a new computer system. In the luxurious Cannes, in France, AMD wanted to tie its VISION strategy to the prestigious Cannes film festival, at the same time introducing some of the latest VISION-powered notebooks on the market. We got a chance to talk with Nigel Dessau, AMD's Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer, who explained to us what the company is launching with the 2010 VISION platform.

We tried to get as much as we could on the latest low-power platform that Acer has introduced with its new Aspire One 521 netbook. As it's the first netbook-ready platform the maker launches, we tried to find out why AMD is now entering this segment. According to Mr. Dessau, the giant sees an opportunity because of the shift to the new “HD netbooks” it can support with their latest HD-ready platforms.

This was rather interesting, considering that early last year, the company's CEO, Dirk Meyer stated that “the distinction between what is a Netbook and what is a notebook is going to go away.” On the other hand, AMD's VP mentioned that the lack of a compatible chip for this space was one of the main reasons for the manufacturer not being able to compete with Intel in one of the most dynamic market segments in 2009.

In addition, Mr. Dessau also said that we should expect a lot more products coming out next year, for this particular segment, although he remained tight-lipped concerning any specific names and partners. For more details and the company's view on its new VISION strategy, be sure to check out the video below. We'll also have a few more updates on the new platform, which Mr. Dessau summed up as “one of the single largest – and most significant – launches in AMD’s history.”