Leading ODMs Select AMD Fusion Apus…as fraud case against ex-staff continue

AMD has announced that leading original design manufacturers (ODMs) are choosing AMD's 2011 low-power platform for a new generation of PC designs ranging from ultrathin notebooks to all-in-one desktops. Nearly two dozen unique ODM whitebook and high definition PC (HDPC) designs based on the AMD C- and E-Series Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) are expected to be available for distribution and purchase in the first half of the year.

"AMD Fusion APUs provide significant advantages in power and design simplicity over competing multi-chip solutions, translating into unique and innovative PC form factors, and ultimately an amazing user experience," said David Kenyon, corporate vice president, Worldwide Channel Marketing, AMD. "We are working closely with our ODM partners to help them build the small-form-factor, long-battery-life PCs that can help them differentiate from the competition and succeed in today's competitive market."

AMD Fusion-based whitebooks are available now for purchase from leading ODMs worldwide, including Clevo, Coby, Compal, ECS, Hasee, MSI and Shuttle. New generations of HDPCs powered by the AMD E-Series and C-Series APU are also expected to be available in the first half of 2011 by ODMs including JEHE, J&W, MSI, PCP, Tul and WeiBu.

HDPC systems powered by AMD Fusion APUs offer an incredibly vivid computing experience for home theater and small-form-factor PCs, made possible by an APU-based all-on-board (AOB) motherboard. A "plug-and-plug" AOB includes an AMD Fusion APU, heat sink/fan with video output capability enabling significant advantages in power and design simplicity in a variety of form factors. With its discrete-class GPU core, AMD APU technology supports the current graphics standards like DirectX® 11 and outputs like DVI and HDMI.

The case of Raj Rajaratnam vs the world continues with news that a Bear Stearns fund manager allegedly had an "intimate relationship" with then AMD CEO 2002-2008 Hector Ruiz.

Ruiz has not been caught up in the case, but the Bear Stearns manager, Danielle Chiesi, has been linked to having a relationship with him while he was at the top of AMD, according to a witness.

Meanwhile, the defence team for the Galleon Group founder has said that the Sri Lankan-born billionaire didn't spill any beans about AMD and therefore didn't make any profits on insider information. They claim instead that Rajaratnam's tips about the ATI-AMD deal were already in the media, so already in the public domain and not insider tips.

Rajartnam's lawyer's claims follow a case against the alleged inside-trader, which is part of a major US crackdown on hedge fund insider trading. Prosecutors claim that he was at the centre of a scheme which generated $45 million using leaked information taken from a network of traders. It is thought the alleged scam affected up to three dozen firms including IBM and Morgan Stanley as well as AMD.

However, AMD was in the spotlight when Rajaratnam's lawyer 69-year-old John Dowd showed Anil Kumar, a key government witness, evidence of a series of news articles, which he claimed showed was already available in the media.

But Kumar, who claims that Rajaratnam was paying him $500,000 a year for his "insight", said that the press reports were "speculative." He stuck the wooden spoon in further claiming he had given "more accurate facts than a journalist would".

Of course he has nothing to lose given that he's already pleaded guilty to providing insider tips to Rajaratnam between 2003 and 2009. He claims that he received more than $2 million for the snitching. He's also trying to tell the courts that he's the source behind the 2005-2006 AMD leaks.

Rajaratnam, who is charged with 14 counts of security fraud and conspiracy, could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.