14 DAY TRIAL // Taiwanese PC manufacturer and vendor Asustek is reported to have placed a significant order of low-end Sempron processors from AMD. The undisclosed amount of Advanced Micro Devices' chips could be the starting point for a new product aimed at the entry-level market.
Industry sources are already hinting that the PC manufacturer plans on supporting both Intel and AMD platforms in its yet to be released E-DT product family. The company last month announced that it will add three new low-end product offerings to go along with their extremely popular Eee PC: the E-Monitor, E-TV, and E-DT.
The most important piece in the new lineup is the E-DT, a desktop PC solution that will come without a monitor. According to the technical specifications, the desktop PC will come with a price tag of $200-300 or even less.
The computer vendor has already announced that the upcoming E-DT will be built on Intel's Shelton'08 platform, yet, the significant order in AMD Sempron processors may be a sign that the company will also release an AMD-based counterpart. Although the exact amount of ordered processors is not disclosed, some sources would talk about as much as a million units. Some other sources claim that the real number ranges between half and a million units, and they are not destined to power a single product, but rather they will be directed to a couple of Asustek products.
Some others are just dismissing this kind of speculations, given the fact that the PC vendor will not risk its commercial relationship with Intel by adopting its competitor's products. Moreover, AMD currently does not have any available low-cost platform offerings, which would make Asus to get its other necessary products (such as chipsets, for instance) from a third-party manufacturer (VIA is the most probable pick).