AMD today released their earnings call for 3Q 2016, giving us some interesting tidbits in regards to their financial robustness. The balance of AMD's economics seems to be pending towards better execution, and, coeteris paribus, a much better outlook for the coming quarters, after the monumental missteps in the past that almost threw AMD under the proverbial bus. Reception for the results seems to be a tangled mess, however, with some sides claiming that AMD beat expectations, while others prefer to draw attention to AMD's 2% stock decline since the report was outed.

AMD posted revenue of $1,307 million, up 27% sequentially and 23% year-over-year. This revenue was distributed unevenly through AMD's divisions, though. "Computing and Graphics" segment revenue was $472 million, up 9% from Q2 2016, primarily due to increased GPU sales (where Polaris picked up the grunt of the work, being responsible for 50% of AMD's GPU revenue), offset by lower sales of client desktop processors and chipsets; whereas "Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom" segment revenue was $835 million, up 41% sequentially, primarily due to record semi-custom SoC sales (such as those found in Microsoft's XBOX One and Sony's PS4 and upcoming PS4 Pro).

Intel introduced a trio of embedded CPUs for SFF desktops and industrial PCs (IPCs), based on its "Skylake-R" silicon. This variant of Skylake features the largest integrated GPU Intel ever made - the Intel Iris Pro 580. This IGP features 72 execution units (compared to 24 on, say, the i7-6700K), and relies on a 128 MB eDRAM L4 cache for fast frame-buffering operations. The IGP uses this tiny yet fast cache, in conjunction with its traditional UMA system memory share, as video memory. The "Skylake-R" package is a multi-chip module of the main die with four "Skylake" CPU cores and the 72-EU IGP, and a second die housing the L4 cache.

Among the three "Skylake-R" chips Intel launched are the Core i7-6785R, the Core i5-6685R, and the Core i5-6585R. The i7-6785R features HyperThreading enabling 8 logical CPUs, 8 MB of L3 cache, and 3.30 GHz nominal clock speed, with 3.90 GHz Turbo Boost. The i5-6685R and the Core i5-6585R lack HyperThreading, and feature just 6 MB of L3 cache; the former features clock speeds of 3.20 GHz nominal with 3.80 GHz Turbo Boost, while the latter offers 2.80 GHz nominal with 3.60 GHz Turbo Boost. All three feature iGPU clocks of 350 MHz nominal, with up to 1150 MHz boost. The 14 nm chips further feature TDP of 65W, and feature dual-channel memory controllers that support both DDR4 and DDR3L memory. Sold in the OEM channel, the i7-6785R, i5-6685R, and i5-6585R, are priced at US $370, $288, and $255, respectively, per-piece, and in 1000-unit tray quantities.

Toshiba today launched a new line-up of NAND flash memory products for embedded applications that are compatible with the widely used Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI). Wide ranging applications for the new "Serial Interface NAND" include such consumer applications as flat-screen TVs, printers and wearable devices, and industrial applications, including robots. Users can choose from a wide line-up of 12 products that offers three densities, 1Gbit, 2Gbit and 4Gbit; two packages, WSON[1] and SOP[2] and two power supply voltages. Samples shipment starts today and mass production is scheduled to begin with the 1Gbit products from December. Mass production of the remaining line-up will follow.

Compatibility with the widely used SPI, which can be controlled with just six pins, allows the new "Serial Interface NAND" to be used as SLC NAND flash memory, with a low pin count, small package and large capacity.

Innodisk, the service-driven flash and DRAM provider, announces higher capacity 16GB versions of its DDR4 embedded and server unbuffered DRAM series. These 2133MHz UDIMMs and SODIMMS now come in industry-leading 16GB capacities, allowing more memory to be installed within space constrained embedded systems, industrial PCs and servers. Offering higher performance with lower power consumption compared to DDR3, the new DRAM modules have ECC available for reliability, as well as industrial strength features from Innodisk such as 30µ" Gold Finger connectors, thermal sensors, and protective conformal coatings. The new 16GB modules make Innodisk's range of DDR4 products the most complete line of embedded and server DDR4 memory on the market.

"16GB is the highest capacity unbuffered DDR4 module available on the market," said Samson Chang, Vice President of Embedded DRAM Business Unit of Innodisk. "We're proud that Innodisk is able to provide this memory capacity while bringing the performance and low power benefits of DDR4 to the embedded and server markets. In addition, we're bringing extra value to our industrial customers with Innodisk features like onboard thermal sensors and protective coatings.

Embedded systems and IPC major Giada is one of the first to openly exhibit a NUC (next unit of computing) compact desktop based on Intel's 6th generation Core "Skylake" processor. The i80 Ultra-Compact Mini PC by Giada features a "Skylake-U" dual-core processor, meant for Ultrabooks and NUCs; and tucks in four USB 3.0 ports, 802.11 ac WLAN, gigabit Ethernet (Intel controller), mini-DisplayPort, and HDMI 2.0, with just enough room for an mSATA SSD; in a compact chassis that measures 116.6 mm x 111 mm x 47.5 mm.

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, today introduced the new SanDisk Z400s SSD, a cost effective solid-state drive (SSD) designed to replace hard-disk drives (HDDs) in computing platforms and embedded applications. PCs and embedded systems need consistent, reliable access to storage in order to meet business demands. The Z400s outperforms HDDs by 20x, while providing 5x the reliability with 20x lower average power consumption, all at a price point on par with HDDs. The SanDisk Z400s SSD joins the company's existing portfolio of flash-based solutions that are designed to deliver a delightful user experience and reliability at an affordable price point

"The Z400s represents a feat of engineering that addresses the needs of two distinct markets-PC OEM manufacturers and embedded application designers," said Rizwan Ahmed, senior director of product marketing, client platform solutions, SanDisk. "With a single architecture, SanDisk is able to provide OEMs with an affordable solution for displacing HDDs in today's cutting edge consumer devices, and help embedded application designers avoid overpaying for un-needed space-all while delivering the peak performance and high-reliability that only SSDs can supply."

As industrial applications increasingly require higher processing performance now than ever before, MSI released MS-98G5 industrial mainboard with superior processing and graphic capability in response. MS-98G5 is a Mini-ITX board based on Intel 4th Gen QM87/HM86 architecture that come support with BGA-type Haswell/Broadwell Mobile Core i7/i5/i3/Celeron Processor, multiple displays, 1 PCIe(x16), 8 USB 2.0 & 4 USB 3.0 ports, 5 COM ports, SATA 3.0 connector, and 2 mini-PCIe slots. The flexible and rich design along with the auto-switch DC 12/19V power inputs bring system integrators more possibilities of display deployment, I/O connection, and extra expansion.

MS-98G5 is also featured with its multiple displays with HDMI, DP, DVI-I, and LVDS outputs and the HD Graphics. The brilliant display capability and the high-performance Intel 4th Gen kernel make it an ideal solution for various industrial applications, such as HMI control, ATM, Kiosk, intelligent transportation system, medical, networking, and many more automation fields.

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) today published the Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) Standard version 1.4a. Replacing eDP v1.4, published in February 2013, eDP 1.4a enables a higher video data transfer rate for increased panel resolution, greater color depth and higher refresh rates. It also incorporates the VESA Display Stream Compression (DSC) Standard v1.1, and includes a new segmented panel architecture that enables higher panel integration. These and other refinements were made to the eDP 1.4a standard to take advantage of higher GPU video performance and newer display technologies, while also enabling reduced system power and form factor.

The eDP v1.4a standard leverages the VESA DisplayPort (DP) Standard v1.3, published in September 2014, as a base specification. That standard's new higher HBR3 link rate, which operates at 8.1 Gbps per lane, is now also part of eDP v1.4a. With both HBR3 and the DSC v1.1 standard included, the latest eDP standard can support embedded panels with up to 8K resolution. For embedded display applications, DSC is most often used to decrease video interface data rate or wire count, as well as reduce display frame buffer size, thereby reducing system power usage to extend battery life. It also enables reductions in system complexity and form factor.

Marvell, a worldwide leader in providing complete silicon solutions from mobile communications to storage, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud infrastructure, digital entertainment and in-home content delivery and Kinoma software enabling the "Smart Life and Smart Lifestyle," today announced the world's first DRAM-less NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) solid state drive (SSD) controller for mass market mobile computing solutions with industry-leading NANDEdge low-density parity check (LDPC) technology supporting triple-level cell (TLC) and 3D NAND. Marvell's 88NV1140 and 88NV1120 enable small form factor SSD solutions with unparalleled performance for integration into low-z-height tablets, Chrome devices and the upcoming wave of new 2-in-1 hybrid/detachable mobile PC platforms.

"As mobile computing and cloud-based services become an integral part of our daily lives, fast, secure, reliable and cost effective storage solutions with a small form factor are the key to bringing the benefit of technology to the mass market. I believe our latest game-changing SSD controller will drive the fast deployment of a new wave of small form factor SSD solutions for the mass market mobile computing platforms," said Weili Dai, President and Co-Founder of Marvell. "I am very pleased to see Marvell's leadership and our long track record of invention and innovation including the world's first DRAM-less NVMe SSD controller and the industry's most advanced LDPC technology enabling the latest TLC and 3D NAND flash memory. I am very thankful for our global engineering teams who continuously raise the technology bar to move our industry forward faster."

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc., (TAEC), a committed leader that collaborates with technology companies to create breakthrough designs, today announced the launch of a class of e-MMCTM embedded NAND flash memory products that are among the world's smallest.The new products integrate NAND chips fabricated with Toshiba's cutting-edge 15 nm process technology and a controller to manage basic control functions for NAND applications into a single package.

Fully compliant with the latest JEDEC e-MMC standard, the new chips are designed for application in a wide range of digital consumer products, including smartphones, tablet PCs and wearable devices. Sample shipment of the 16 gigabyte (GB) products begins today, with 8GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB products to follow. By utilizing the 15nm process technology, the new product's package size is approximately 26 percent smaller than comparable Toshiba products and offers faster read/write performance due to improvements in basic chip performance and controller optimization. The read speed is approximately eight percent faster (max.), while the write speed is approximately 20 percent faster (max.).

Acnodes Corp., a leading manufacturer of industrial and embedded computer platforms and technologies, today announced the launch of a new fanless embedded computer, FES8660. Based on the 3rd generation Core i7 / i5 / i3 or Celeron Processor and HM76 Express Chipset, it features a robust fanless design and is an ideal solution for video applications, digital signage, outdoor advertising, POS/kiosks and gaming. In addition, this application-ready rugged platform also targets a broad range of industrial computing applications such as embedded controller, factory automation and more.

The FES8660 includes a VGA out video interfaces, 4 COM ports, four Gigabit LAN ports, four USB 3.0 ports, and audio for administration and software input. Moreover, the FES8660 has two 204-pin DDR3 memory maximum up to 16 GB, one 2.5" SATA drive bay and CFast slot for solid state storage. The FES8660 provides good expansion capability by offering two PCI Express Mini card slots and two SIM card sockets allowing more efficient, seamless networking options. The onboard Core i7 / i5 / i3 or Celeron processor couples low power consumption with minimal cooling requirements, resulting in improved stability and longevity and allowing for completely fanless computer design.

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, today announced the iNAND Standard embedded flash drive (EFD), an ideal storage solution for entry-level tablets and smartphones in China and other high-growth markets. The new 1Y nanometer 3-bit-per-cell (X3) NAND flash storage solution enables original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to quickly introduce new, affordable tablets and smartphones with the reliable performance of SanDisk storage.

"China is the most dynamic smartphone and tablet market today, with state-of-the-art high-end smartphones and new powerful, but affordable, 'entry-level' devices," said Mr. Drew Henry, senior vice president and general manager, Mobile and Connected Solutions, SanDisk. "We leveraged our flash technology expertise to specifically design our new iNAND Standard for the high-volume China budget mobile device market. Because we work closely with mobile systems providers, it offers near plug-and-play capability that enables OEMs to rapidly introduce highly capable entry-level tablets and smartphones that are optimal for the China mass market."

Axiomtek, one of the world's leading designers and manufacturers of innovative, high performance and reliable PC-based industrial computer products, announces the eBOX635-881-FL, its new fanless embedded box computer utilizing 4th Generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3 and Intel Celeron processor with Intel H81 chipset.

The super light yet compact eBOX635-881-FL comes packaged in an IP40-rated aluminum and cold-rolled steel enclosure and is designed to operate at temperatures ranging from -20°C to +50°C for use in the extremely environments. The fanless embedded system supports six jumper-less RS-232/422/484 and sixteen DI/DO ports along with three display outputs of two HDMI, DisplayPort and VGA for applications used in transportation, POS, kiosk, industrial control automation and medical equipment. Two PCI Express Mini Card slots are added to the system for greater expansion capability. One SIM slot is also available for 3G/4G, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth applications, allowing for more efficient networking options.

Synology today introduced Embedded DataStation EDS14, a palm-sized, state-of-the-art NAS server combining durability with reliability, implementing Synology's advanced network storage solutions in a wide range of application scenarios. "Designed to survive extreme conditions and harsh environments, the EDS14 is vibration-resistant and complies with the industrial thermal endurance level from -20˚C to 50˚C," said Chad Chiang, product manager at Synology Inc. "Its drive-less design and the support for high-speed SDXC UHS-I SD storage and USB 3.0 further maximize system reliability with performance and capacity."

Synology EDS14 measures at 125 x 125 x 31mm, nearly 70% smaller than an ordinary 2-bay NAS server, and is particularly suitable for areas where space is a challenge. Despite the compact physical size, the EDS14 makes no compromise in reliability by engineering the dynamic cooling mechanisms to ensure CPU health in challenging thermal environments. Optimized for deployment in a variety of environments, the EDS14 can tolerate dynamic DC input voltage from 7 to 24V, is compatible with PoE splitters, and supports 3G/LTE. The EDS14 even comes with multiple mounting solutions, including DIN rail, and a schedulable DC output to power peripheral devices, making it a good fit for versatile deployment.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient computing platforms, today announced the VIA AMOS-3003, a compact embedded IoT system designed around the tiny VIA EPIA-P910 Pico-ITX board. Combining low power, rich connectivity and high performance 64-bit computing in a ruggedized design, the VIA AMOS-3003 delivers all the latest features and digital media standards required in data collection terminals for in-vehicle control as well as machine to machine controllers in a host of industrial automation applications.

Leveraging the advanced capabilities of the combined 1.2GHz VIA Nano X2 E-Series dual core processor and VIA VX11H media system processor (MSP), the VIA AMOS-3003 features rich connectivity including dual Gigabit Ethernet and optional WiFi, GPS and 3G networking with Dual SIM card support. With a host of extendable I/O options to connect peripheral devices as well as Wake On LAN (WOL) and pre-boot execution environment (PXE) support, the VIA AMOS-3003 is the ideal solution for customers to create a host of remotely managed IoT devices for almost any environment.

AMD today announced a multi-year agreement with Mentor Graphics Corporation to expand availability of open-source embedded Linux development for heterogeneous and multi-core processors from AMD. Dedicated to providing embedded developers with a more manageable and focused open source framework, the agreement will provide embedded developers with more supported processor options, robust development tools, and greater speed in open platform development.

As a Yocto Project compatible product, Mentor Embedded Linux will now bring standardized features and tools, and ensure quick access to the latest Board Support Packages (BSPs) for AMD 64-bit x86 architecture beginning with the upcoming AMD Embedded G-Series system-on-a-chip (SoC) (codenamed: "Steppe Eagle") and AMD Embedded R-Series APU/CPU (codenamed: "Bald Eagle").

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation, a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid state storage devices, today introduces new additions to its Ferri portfolio with single-package Ferri-eMMC and ultra-high performance SATA 6 Gb/s FerriSSD embedded memory solutions supporting industrial and commercial grade temperatures. Silicon Motion will be showcasing and demonstrating these new products at the upcoming EE Live! Conference and Expo in San Jose, CA from April 1 to 3.

Ferri-eMMC is designed for a wide range of embedded applications and is fully compliant with JEDEC-standard eMMC 4.5 protocol. With a 100-ball 1.0 mm pitch BGA package, Ferri-eMMC provides for more flexible PCB design and low-cost manufacturing. Ferri-eMMC delivers market leading data integrity and protection capabilities featuring Silicon Motion's advanced NAND management technologies including error correction, bad block management and NAND health monitoring.

NVIDIA today opened the door to the development of a new generation of applications that employ computer vision, image processing and real-time data processing -- with the launch of a developer platform based on the world's first mobile supercomputer for embedded systems.

The NVIDIA Jetson TK1 Developer Kit provides developers with the tools to create systems and applications that can enable robots to seamlessly navigate, physicians to perform mobile ultrasound scans, drones to avoid moving objects and cars to detect pedestrians.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced that it has begun delivering products from its newly formed Embedded Systems Business Unit, targeting graphics intensive embedded system designs and small format computing solutions for a wide range of applications. SAPPHIRE Technology is a leading manufacturer and global supplier of a broad range of innovative technologies for PC enthusiasts, home users and professionals. The company was first formed over a decade ago as a manufacturer and global supplier of state-of-the-art graphics add-in boards, for which it is now recognized as a premier AMD add-in graphics board partner for both consumer and professional products. The company's extensive product line has grown to include motherboards, mini PCs and Professional AV products.

SMART Modular Technologies, Inc., a leading independent designer, manufacturer and supplier of value added subsystems including memory modules, flash memory cards and other solid state storage products, today announced its new XR-DIMM small form factor DDR3 module, specifically designed for ruggedized single board computing (SBC) applications requiring high reliability, density and performance attributes.

SMART's XR-DIMM solves the traditional space-constraint issue for Advanced Memory Card (AMC) form factor SBC's, where the clips from the horizontally mounted SO-DIMM's socket violate the "keep-out" areas of the card and interfere with the system chassis when the AMC card is removed. The XR-DIMM solves this issue by using a low profile, snap-down mezzanine connector with no clips. In addition, SMART's XR-DIMM form factor provides a ruggedized attach method and features improved signal integrity ideal for AMC cards, as well as ATCA, PCIe, and COMe embedded computing applications.

Stealth.com Inc. (Stealth Computer), a leader in rugged small form factor computing has released the new model LPC-630F, a high performance fanless small form computer. The highly reliable LPC-630F is loaded with features generally found in systems many times its diminutive size.

Stealth's LPC-630F is a quiet yet powerful small form factor computer that operates without noisy cooling fans which could draw in dirt resulting in potential failures. Stealth's fanless computers are encapsulated in a rugged extruded aluminum chassis performing as a heat sink to dissipate heat build-up. Its compact size 7.9" x 7.9" x 2.56" (200 x 200 x 65 mm) make it ideal for space challenged applications.

SMART Modular Technologies, Inc., a leading independent designer, manufacturer and supplier of value added subsystems including memory modules, flash memory cards and other solid state storage products, today announced MIP, the industry's first module-in-a-package memory form factor. SMART's innovative tiny form factor design is targeted for broadcast video, mobile router, high-end video/graphics cards and embedded computing applications where power consumption, performance and space limitations are of principle concern.

While SMART's MIP occupies just one-fifth the area of an SO-DIMM, it offers higher performance and consumes less power. Key improvements with MIP include 42% power savings, 42% jitter reduction, and 39% PK/PK savings. Being a "soldered down" module, unlike an SO-DIMM, the need for a mating connector is eliminated with MIP. SMART's MIP supports both, applications requiring ECC and the ones that do not. These are key benefits for applications where memory capacity in a small space is critical. And unlike other DRAM down-board usage scenarios, the MIP contains on-package address and CNTRL termination.

Intel Corporation today announced plans to accelerate the development and deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT) by enabling intelligent devices, end-to-end analytics and connecting legacy devices to the cloud to drive business transformation.

In support of this effort, the company unveiled several products including the Intel Atom processor E3800 product family (formerly codenamed "Bay Trail-I"), a new family of Intel-based intelligent gateway solutions featuring integrated software from McAfee and Wind River, and new features for the Intel Quark SoC X1000.

MSI, the leading brand of embedded computers recently released a new Mini-ITX embedded board that focuses on advanced POS application. Powered by the 4th Gen Intel Core processor, MS-98D3 brings the POS system to a new level with the capability of multiple processing covering front-end retailing to back-end management at the same time, while keeps the system active and prompt at both ends.

The fast growth of information technology and network communication has made POS no longer in the stereotype of a stand-alone cash register in a store or restaurant, processing simple ordering and checkout works. With increasing POS system connected to network, wireless, or cellular communication to form a networked or even cloud-based POS system, high-end POS host is required by the market. The MS-98D3 is an embedded board designed in response to this demand.

AMD (NYSE: AMD) today disclosed its roadmap for the fast-growing embedded computing market, as it becomes the first company to offer both ARM and x86 processor solutions for low-power and high-performance embedded compute designs. The new lineup includes two best-in-class x86 accelerated processing units (APUs) and central processing units (CPUs), a first look at a high-performance ARM system-on-chip (SoC) and a new family of discrete AMD Embedded Radeon graphics processing units (GPUs) expected to launch in 2014. These additions provide the embedded industry's engineering community with more choices to match their exact design needs, and are designed to offer improvements in performance-per-watt and performance-per-dollar. Together with the recent launch of the award-winning AMD Embedded G-Series SoC family that set a superior bar for performance-per-watt low-power multicore APUs, these latest additions to the embedded product roadmap further signify a strategic push by AMD to focus on the high-growth embedded market.