A M D News - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[GHOSTBUSTER]

Sunnyvale (PC-WELT) - "Athlon" - so soll AMDs kommender K7-Prozessor heißen. Damit paßt AMD die Namensgebung seinem Erzrivalen Intel an, der
seine Chips schon seit längerem mit Namen versieht, die nach intergalaktischen Rittern oder chemischen Zusätzen klingen. Aber der Athlon verspricht auch in technischer Hinsicht eine Wendung. Insidern zufolge ist der Prozessor, der auf einer neuen Architektur basiert, mindestens so leistungsfähig wie der neue Pentium III mit der gleichen Taktfrequenz. Vor allem bei den für Multimedia wichtigen Fließkomma-Befehlen ist der Prozessor stark. Damit könnte es AMD gelingen, wieder in die schwarzen Zahlen zu gelangen. Auch von den Verspätungen bei Intel dürfte AMD profitieren. Der K7/Athlon soll bereits im August in die Massenproduktion gehen - damit wäre er im Herbst bei den PC-Herstellern. Intel hat die Fertigstellung seines PIII-Konkurrenzprodukts "Coppermine" dagegen auf November verschoben. Entscheidend für AMD ist jetzt, ob es in der Lage ist, genug Prozessoren zu fertigen, um den Vorsprung ausnutzen zu können. Schon beim K6 und K6-2 war AMD mit der Lieferung nicht nachgekommen und hatte dadurch schwere Verluste erlitten.

[trador]

Ich bin nicht gerade auf dem laufenden - sitze zur zeit noch etwas aus amd aus. Ist denn Dresden schon hochgefahren. Kann man sich darauf verlassen, dass die mit der Nachfrage diesesmal mithalten werden?

[hinweis]

AMD - Bad News ??

**************************

Wednesday June 23, 1:04 pm Eastern Time
AMD to host conference call Wednesday

SAN FRANCISCO, June 23 (Reuters) - Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Intel Corp.`s main rival in microprocessors, said it will host an analysts` teleconference call Wednesday after the stock market closes, amid expectation of both good and bad news.

A spokesman for the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company could not provide any details about the conference call, which will be held later Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., EDT (2:30 p.m., PDT).

Analysts, meanwhile, speculated that the conference call would be an announcement that AMD is shipping its much-anticipated new K7 microprocessor, which has been expected to ship some time this month, combined with an announcement that the second quarter is coming in weaker than expected.

``It`s a weird situation because the K7 looks like it`s going to be pretty great,`` said Dan Niles, an analyst with BancBoston Robertson Stephens. ``It wouldn`t surprise me if it was a K7 announcement, with a pre-announcement.``

AMD`s shares were off $1.5625 to $17.6875 in active trading on the NYSE.

``Stocks usually trade well into good news,`` said one technology stock trader. ``It`s probably bad news.``

Ashok Kumar, an analyst at U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray said he has been expecting AMD to report a second quarter loss that could almost be as large as its loss in the first quarter.

In the first quarter, AMD reported a net loss of $128.4 million, or $0.88 a share, including a $15 million restructuring charge, or $0.81 a share, before charges, as production problems and steep price cuts hurt its earnings.

According to First Call research firm, the consensus on Wall Street for AMD`s second quarter is for a loss of $0.40 a share.

Another analyst who asked not to be named said he expected a ``good news, bad news`` announcement, adding that AMD will likely combine the good news about the K7 chip with discussion of weakness in the second quarter, as Intel`s price cuts earlier in the quarter have likely caused difficulties for AMD.

[Glatteis]

Gute Nacht AMD.
Wir haben nichts anderes erwartet als Eure leeren Versprechungen.

****************************** **

AMDSees Bigger-Than-Expected 2Q Loss

By Therese Poletti

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Calling Intel Corp. an 800-pound gorilla, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE:AMD - news) said Wednesday it would post a larger-than-expected loss for the second quarter, partly due to its bloody price war with Intel.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD said it would post an operating loss in the range of $200 million for the quarter ending June 27. Based on about 146 million shares outstanding, the loss would come to about $1.37 a share.

Wall Street analysts had been expecting a loss of about 40 cents a share, according to First Call, which tracks estimates. The $200 million loss will also include a restructuring charge similar to the first quarter charge of $15 million, AMD said.

``An 800-pound gorilla can sit anywhere they want to. They sat on Cyrix and squashed them and now they are trying to sit on us,`` AMD chairman and chief executive, W.J. (Jerry) Sanders III, told analysts on a conference call. ``Intel is being overly aggressive on prices where we compete.``

In the first quarter, AMD reported a net loss of $128.4 million, or 88 cents a share, including a $15 million restructuring charge, or 81 cents a share, before charges, as production problems and steep price cuts hurt its earnings.

Now, AMD has finally conquered the production problems that plagued its K6 family and hurt previous quarters. But despite substantially higher production, AMD said its average selling prices tumbled and unit shipments would fall substantially below earlier expectations for the second quarter.

AMD said it expected to produce more than six million AMD-K6 family processors, but it was unlikely to record sales of more than 3.7 million units. Analysts said they had expected AMD to ship about 5 million units in the second quarter.

``Overall, the K6 family processor ASPs (average selling prices) took a beating,`` Sanders said, adding that AMD`s average selling prices fell to a low $60 range per chip (in quantities of $1,000), versus $78 in the first quarter.

AMD said pricing pressures in the market came from what it called very aggressive pricing of Intel`s Celeron processors, and the liquidation of processors from Cyrix Corp. as it exits the market. Last month, National Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE:NSM - news), said it would exit the PC processor business it entered with its 1997 acquisition of Cyrix.

AMD executives said on a conference call that price-cutting by Intel during the quarter was so fierce that in some instances, they believed it was imprudent to match the prices of their Celeron chips and it lost business instead.

``Three official price moves by Intel dashed our hopes for an orderly pricing environment,`` Sanders told analysts.

AMD now expects that total revenues for the second quarter would be less than $600 million. That compares with $632 million in the first quarter of this year and $527 million in the year-ago second quarter.

Sanders said the second quarter operating loss would be offset by a more than $400 million pretax gain on the sale of its Vantis subsidiary, or $275 million on an after-tax basis.

At the same time, AMD said it had begun shipping its next generation K7 microprocessor, now officially named the AMD Athlon, in speeds of 500, 550, and 600 megahertz. The K7 has been highly anticipated because it is believed by some analysts to be one of AMD`s best technological feats yet.

The Athlon processor represents for AMD what some analysts say is its final hope to compete with Intel, this time at the higher end of the PC market, where it will face Intel`s Pentium III processor in the higher-margin business market.

``The company is certainly depending on their success with that product,`` said Drew Peck, an SG Cowen & Co. analyst. ``Obviously they cannot sustain results like this very long. They have put all their eggs in one basket. Frankly, I think it is their last chance. On paper, it looks like an interesting product.``

The 600-MHz Athlon processor is priced at $699, the 550-MHz at $479, and the 500-MHz at $324 in 1,000-unit quantities.

Analysts also said they were concerned about Intel`s aggressiveness in the low-cost PC arena and what its price cutting means for the chip giant`s second quarter earnings. Already, some analysts have raised concerns that Intel`s second quarter may be a bit lighter than expected.

``I think it`s going to be a tough quarter for everyone in the microprocessor business,`` Peck said.

AMD`s stock fell $1.06 to $18.03 on the New York Stock Exchange. The news was released after the U.S. markets closed.