AMD Forms Architecture Lab

Now I'm not trying to be ironic here (ok, maybe a little�) but it seems that nothing can come out of a free thinking exercise anymore. And AMD thinks the same since they have announced the formation of a new Advanced Architecture and Technology Lab, which will mainly focus on technology and platform development beyond the five-year time limit. That will probably translate into more precise roadmaps and extensive material regarding the future development of silicone based products.

"This forward-looking strategy underscores our commitment to consistent, ongoing innovation in design, software planning, system structures and chip architectures. The Advanced Architecture and Technology Lab helps ensure we are putting in place the foundation for continued innovations beyond the five-year time horizon, allowing AMD to continue delivering the technology our customers need to be successful," said Phil Hester, AMD senior vice president and chief technology officer.

The new lab will be led by Rich Witek, which is currently working at AMD as chief architectural officer. Rich Witek has been with AMD since 2002 and has more than 30 years of hardware and software experience. He helped with the design of the ARM, StrongARM and Alpha CPUs and also with the development of the PowerPC line. He also holds no less than 22 patents regarding the CPU development and has co-authored several IEEE technical papers. The Architecture Lab will have 30 to 40 employees at first and will be followed by more Labs being opened around the world.

I understand the need for advanced planning, but I don't think that separate labs that will focus on that issue alone are needed. However, AMD thinks otherwise and since I don't really care whether they do it or not, I hope to hear more about these labs in the future.