AMD, MSI won't make an in-person CES 2022 appearance

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More and more of the big names in tech are opting out of in-person appearances at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show, citing the rising COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant. The latest companies to shift to online product launches are AMD and MSI.

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Tesla Model Y vehicles in China get AMD Ryzen chip upgrades

Tesla

The Tesla Model Y vehicles in China are getting a power boost. The electric crossover released in the country now has AMD Ryzen processors running the infotainment system instead of the usual Intel CPU. Tesla has historically used the same platform for all trim levels of a given model, but the performance variant owners spotted the change.

It isn't clear if it's the same Ryzen APU in the latest Model S and X and whether Tesla is limiting this change to China. The carmaker is believed to no longer have a PR team and hasn't responded to request for comments in recent years. As Engadget pointed out, the move might be trying to counter chip shortages and perhaps help lower costs. Or maybe Tesla is making the shift to Ryzen chips. 

Vancouver Film School selects HP Z Workstations with AMD FirePro professional graphics

HP today announced that Vancouver Film School (VFS), Canada's premier post-secondary entertainment arts institution has installed 775 HP Z420 Workstations with AMD FirePro W7000 professional graphics. 

 The workstations are being used by students in the animation, film, game design, programming, digital design and foundation programs. A winner of four consecutive School of the Year Awards (2010–3) at the CG Student Awards, VFS uses approximately 300 HP Z420 Workstations throughout classrooms in its Animation & Visual Effects department alone.

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AMD lets go of 1,400 employess, some senior staff included

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) will  reportedly lay off 1,400 employees which make up 10% of its workforce. The embattled microchip maker has struggled of late with manufacturing setbacks and its failure to stake a claim in the burgeoning mobile chip market which powers smartphones and tablets. 

A report from the Wall Street Journal disclosed "the moves will trigger about $105 million in restructuring charges, and save more than $200 million in operating costs in 2012. AMD said it will plow some of the savings into newer business areas, including chips for devices such as tablet-style computers, in emerging markets and Internet-related opportunities known as cloud computing."

Managers and lower lever employees are among those who are to be let go. AMD is facing competition from longtime rival Intel in the desktop, notebook and netbook space while being pummeled by ARM in the mobile fron which looks to be gearing up towards the lower-priced desktop space that AMD once thived in. AMD's strongest  products right now are their graphics processors.

Sources: Wall Street Journal Online