Q&A: New AMD Boss Dirk Meyer On Turning Things Around

Advanced Micro Devices' financial struggles are well-documented and new boss Dirk Meyer faces a crucial stretch of months ahead as he attempts to lead the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based chip maker out of the red. ChannelWeb caught up with Meyer via e-mail to find out how he thinks AMD's partner channels can help make that happen, what "asset smart" means for AMD's core PC and server businesses, and what AMD is doing to help system builders and VARs add total solutions and services to their offerings.

New AMD CEO Dirk Meyer

Dirk, you've got to be an extremely busy guy these days, so thanks for taking the time to talk to us about your strategy going forward as AMD's new CEO, and especially your ideas about AMD's channel relationships. Can you give us an overview of your vision for the company and specifically, the channel's part in that vision?

Thank you. I've never been more excited about the opportunity ahead for AMD and our customers. We have a unique capacity to drive innovation and deliver a better computing experience by integrating computing and graphics processors because we are the only company with both x86 microprocessor and graphics technology expertise. We're executing to a strong roadmap, and our passionate and talented people believe in our business as strongly as I do. But we have to return to profitability, and we're going to do that by focusing on our core businesses, continuing to drive innovation, and consistently executing. The channel is critical to achieving that goal, something recognized by the executive team and the entire company. This is a key reason that Gustavo Arenas, our chief sales officer, is chartered with ensuring our worldwide sales teams are working collaboratively to meet the channel's needs in every region across the globe.

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