Currently, if you want a netbook, you’re going to get an Intel atom chipset. This is just understood. They are fast, have low heat and power consumption, and are the de facto standard. But AMD is looking to get in on some of that action, and they could be a serious threat to Intel.
AMD would like nothing more then to break in on the (currently) thriving netbook market segment. They’ve even already got a chipset to do it with, the “Yukon” platform, which from most indications, is actually better then the atom. It does consume a bit more power, so there’s a trade-off there, but it also delivers quite a bit more performance.
The other advantage that AMD is pushing is the fact that they aren’t going to restrict the ways that the chipset can be used. In other words, where Intel has stated that the screen on a atom chipset netbook can’t be larger then 10 inches, AMD is telling manufacturers to go nuts. That could really work in their advantage, and I hope it does. AMD has been struggling as of late, and I’d hate to see them go down in flames.
[via Tom’s Hardware]