WebProNews

Tag: Network World

  • AMD Continues to Chip Away at Intel’s Server Dominance

    AMD Continues to Chip Away at Intel’s Server Dominance

    AMD is continuing to make inroad against Intel in the server market, chipping away (pun intended) at the latter’s lead.

    Intel was once the undisputed king of the semiconductor market. While that was true across the entire PC industry, it was especially true in the server market, where the company’s market share was 98% as recently as five years ago. According to Mercury Research (via Network World), as of Q122, AMD’s server market share is now 11.6%, dropping Intel’s to 88.4%.

    AMD has its Epyc line of processors to thank for the success it’s enjoying.

    “It’s been a long, gradual increase. If you look at the data set now, AMD has completed their third consecutive year of having on-quarter gains in share,” said Dean McCarron, president of Mercury Research. “The main driver there is that AMD has its Epyc processors … and each generation has been a little bit more successful than the prior one.”

    See also: Linus Torvolds Switches to AMD, Slams Intel

    AMD’s reputation for consistently delivering quality products is also helping the company gain new business.

    “This isn’t the first time [AMD]’s had success in the market, they had success more than a decade ago, and now they’re getting back in,” McCarron added. “The key here is that they’ve established a pattern of delivery on product reliability.”

    McCarron’s comments confirm the issues Intel has had in recent years. Dell, one of Intel’s most loyal partners, had to look to AMD in 2019 as a result of Intel’s supply issues. Similarly, Cloudflare pivoted away from Intel in late 2021 because AMD’s Epyc processors were much more energy efficient. Google Cloud also moved to AMD, thanks to the performance gains it offered over Intel.

    AMD’s performance has also helped it achieve the highest share of the x86 processor market in its history, according to TechSpot. As of Q122, AMD has 27.7% of the overall market, and 18.3% of the x86 desktop market.

    Under CEO Pat Gelsinger, Intel is determined to turn the tide back in its favor, with Gelsinger even going so far as to say “AMD [is] in the rearview mirror.”

    Unfortunately for Gelsinger, the facts don’t support that claim just yet.

  • Cisco Laying Off 4,000+ Workers, Taking $600 Million Restructuring Charge

    Cisco Laying Off 4,000+ Workers, Taking $600 Million Restructuring Charge

    Cisco is the latest tech giant to engage in layoffs, cutting more than 4,000 staff and taking a $600 million restructuring charge.

    The tech industry has been hit with some of the worst layoffs in recent history, impacting tens of thousands of workers. Cisco is now joining the ranks of companies joining the layoff bandwagon, with SFGATE reporting that the company plans to lay off more than 4,000 employees.

    Interestingly, company spokesperson Robyn Blum said the layoffs were not about reducing headcount.

    “This is not about reducing our workforce,” Blum said. “In fact we’ll have roughly the same number of employees at the end of this fiscal year as we had when we started.”

    The company intends to try to “place affected employees in … open roles,” Blum added.

    Similarly, Network World reports Cisco has filed an 8-K filing indicating its intention to take a $600 million restructuring charge “in order to rebalance the organization and enable further investment in key priority areas. This rebalancing will include talent movement options and restructuring.”

    CFO Scott Herren also emphasized the restructuring program is not for the purpose of reducing the company’s headcount.

    “And to be clear [about] this: Don’t think of this as a headcount action that is motivated by cost savings. This really is a rebalancing. As we look across the board, there are areas that we would like to invest in more. Security, our move to platforms, and more cloud-delivered products. But we’re also going to maintain our financial discipline as we do that,” Herren said.

    “This is about rebalancing across the board. In a perfect world, you’d have 100% skill match, and you can take the people in the areas, or the skills in certain areas, and just move them to where we need to invest, and unfortunately, that’s not – it’s not a perfect world,” Herren added.

  • Ripping Out Huawei and ZTE 5G Hardware Cost Rises to $5.6 Billion

    Ripping Out Huawei and ZTE 5G Hardware Cost Rises to $5.6 Billion

    The US has banned Huawei and ZTE equipment from its 5G networks, but the cost of implementing the ban has now risen to $5.6 billion.

    According to Network World, Congress had initially set aside $1.9 billion to fund the removal of the Chinese firms’ 5G equipment. At the heart of the issue are national security concerns over the two firms’ connection to Beijing. All Chinese companies are required to cooperate with the government, including its espionage efforts. While this may be a concern in any number of industries, it’s especially a concern in an industry that controls communication and data.

    FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has informed Congress the removal of Huawei and ZTE will take at least $5.6 billion, a significant increase over the initial fund.

    “Last year Congress created a first-of-its kind program for the FCC to reimburse service providers for their efforts to increase the security of our nations communications networks,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel. “We’ve received over 181 applications from carriers who have developed plans to remove and replace equipment in their networks that pose a national security threat. While we have more work to do to review these applications, I look forward to working with Congress to ensure that there is enough funding available for this program to advance Congress’s security goals and ensure that the U.S. will continue to lead the way on 5G security.”

  • Asahi Linux Closing In On ‘A Polished Linux Experience’ On M1 Macs

    Asahi Linux Closing In On ‘A Polished Linux Experience’ On M1 Macs

    Apple’s M1 Macs may not fully support Linux just yet, but that’s on the verge of changing. 

    Apple’s M1 processors power its next-generation Macs. Based on the same designs the company has been using in its iPhones and iPads for years, the M1 has received accolades for its performance and battery life. While most users are perfectly content with Apple’s macOS, some would prefer to run Linux.

    Linux on the Mac has a long and healthy history. Many individuals prefer running Apple’s hardware, thanks to its leading-industry design and features, but want the freedom Linux provides. Unfortunately, because Apple just started using the M1 in its Macs, developers have to start from scratch, reverse engineering the hardware and drivers.

    Asahi Linux is one of the leading efforts at getting “a polished Linux® experience on Apple Silicon Macs.” Alyssa Rosenzweig, one of the graphics developers working on the Asahi project, shared an update via Twitter.

    https://twitter.com/alyssarzg/status/1432927311058194436?s=20

    Bryan Lunduke, former Deputy Editor of Linux Journal and a former technology journalists at Network World, is a Linux user who is in the target audience for the Asahi project. He breaks down exactly what Rosenzweig’s announcement means:

    So. What can we glean from all of this?

    • The Asahi Linux team has Linux (Debian, in this case) booting and usable with network support.
    • They now have (very early) display drivers which “take full advantage of the display hardware.”
    • They have at least two base distributions — both Arch and Debian — working and functional (to some extent).

    Rosenzweig’s announcement is good news for users looking forward to running Linux on the M1. Linux already has a well-deserved reputation for breathing new life into older hardware, thanks to its slim system requirements. It will be interesting to see what it can do with M1-level performance at its disposal.