A few days ago, we reported on AMD's newest expansion plans for Serbia. The company opened two new engineering design centers with offices in Belgrade and Nis. We were invited to join the opening ceremony and got an exclusive interview with one of AMD's top executives, Andrej Zdravkovic, who is the senior vice president and Chief Software Officer. Previously, we reported on AMD's transition to become a software company. The company has recently tripled its software engineering workforce and is moving some of its best people to support these teams. AMD's plan is spread over a three to five-year timeframe to improve its software ecosystem, accelerating hardware development to launch new products more frequently and to react to changes in software demand. AMD found that to help these expansion efforts, opening new design centers in Serbia would be very advantageous.

We sat down with Andrej Zdravkovic to discuss the purpose of AMD's establishment in Serbia and the future of some products. Zdravkovic is actually an engineer from Serbia, where he completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in electrical engineering from Belgrade University. In 1998, Zdravkovic joined ATI and quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a senior director. During his decade-long tenure, Zdravkovic witnessed a significant industry shift as AMD acquired ATI in 2006. After a brief stint at another company, Zdravkovic returned to AMD in 2015, bringing with him a wealth of experience and a unique perspective on the evolution of the graphics and computing industry.Here is the full interview:

According to new information from Tom's Hardware, AMD has announced plans to unify its consumer-focused gaming RDNA and data center CDNA graphics architectures into a single, unified design called "UDNA." The announcement was made by AMD's Jack Huynh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Computing and Graphics Business Group, at IFA 2024 in Berlin. The goal of the new UDNA architecture is to provide a single focus point for developers so that each optimized application can run on consumer-grade GPU like Radeon RX 7900XTX as well as high-end data center GPU like Instinct MI300. This will create a unification similar to NVIDIA's CUDA, which enables CUDA-focused developers to run applications on everything ranging from laptops to data centers.

Jack HuynhSo, part of a big change at AMD is today we have a CDNA architecture for our Instinct data center GPUs and RDNA for the consumer stuff. It's forked. Going forward, we will call it UDNA. There'll be one unified architecture, both Instinct and client [consumer]. We'll unify it so that it will be so much easier for developers versus today, where they have to choose and value is not improving.

Update on March 13, 2024: the PS5 system software update is rolling out globally today. Additionally, later this month a PlayStation App update will enable users to enjoy Share Screen interactions on the app as well. As the new year kicks into high gear with an amazing slate of PS5 game releases like The Last of Us Part II Remastered, Tekken 8 and Helldivers 2, along with FINAL FANTASY VII Rebirth, we're pleased to roll out another PS5 system software beta today with a number of quality-of-life enhancements and new features.

While beta access is limited to invited participants in select countries, we plan to release the update globally in the coming months. If you're selected to participate in the beta, you'll receive an email invitation today when it's available to download. Some features available during the beta phase may not make it into the final version or may see significant changes. Let's jump in to the newly added features below.

World's most important fuel of the AI frenzy, NVIDIA, is facing accusations of acting as a "GPU cartel" and controlling supply in the data center market, according to statements made by executives at rival chipmaker Groq and former AMD executive Scott Herkelman. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Groq CEO Jonathan Ross alleged that some of NVIDIA's data center customers are afraid to even meet with rival AI chipmakers out of fear that NVIDIA will retaliate by delaying shipments of already ordered GPUs. This is despite NVIDIA's claims that it is trying to allocate supply fairly during global shortages. "This happens more than you expect, NVIDIA does this with DC customers, OEMs, AIBs, press, and resellers. They learned from GPP to not put it into writing. They just don't ship after a customer has ordered. They are the GPU cartel, and they control all supply," said former Senior Vice President and General Manager at AMD Radeon, Scott Herkelman, in response to the accusations on X/Twitter.

Qualcomm Incorporated has announced the appointment of Akash Palkhiwala to the expanded role of Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. In addition to his CFO responsibilities, as COO, he will now have oversight for the global go-to-market organization and operations, and IT. Palkhiwala's appointment will be effective immediately and he will continue to report directly to Cristiano Amon, President and CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated. "I'm pleased to expand Akash's CFO role to include that of Chief Operating Officer as Qualcomm executes on its growth and diversification strategy," said Cristiano Amon, president and CEO of Qualcomm. "Akash has played a key role in the execution of our business strategy as Qualcomm has expanded into new end markets, and is ideally positioned to further align the company's operations to capture future growth opportunities. I am thrilled to congratulate Akash on this expanded role."

Palkhiwala has served as Chief Financial Officer since 2019. Previously, he was Senior Vice President and finance lead for QCT, Qualcomm's semiconductor business. Palkhiwala joined Qualcomm in 2001, and during this time has held several finance leadership roles including Treasurer, Financial Planning & Analysis, and Corporate Development. Palkhiwala holds an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from L.D. College of Engineering in India and an M.B.A from the University of Maryland.

AMD today announced that Ava Hahn has joined the company as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, replacing Harry Wolin who is retiring from AMD after 24 years.

"I want to thank Harry for the role he has played leading our legal, government relations and public affairs teams during a period of significant growth and transformation," said AMD Chair and CEO Dr. Lisa Su. "I am excited to welcome Ava to AMD. Her extensive experience leading legal functions for multiple technology companies will be an invaluable asset as we enter our next phase of growth."

Hahn joins from Lam Research, where she was chief legal officer with responsibility for global legal and governmental affairs. Prior to Lam, she led the legal functions at CA Technologies and Aruba Networks and served as general counsel for multiple technology and VC firms including Kleiner Perkins. She earned a J.D. from Columbia Law School and a B.A. in history from the University of California, Berkeley.

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of the next version of its High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) DRAM standard: JESD238 HBM3, available for download from the JEDEC website. HBM3 is an innovative approach to raising the data processing rate used in applications where higher bandwidth, lower power consumption and capacity per area are essential to a solution's market success, including graphics processing and high-performance computing and servers.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers (Hong Kong Stock Code: 1337), today unveiled three new additions to its Productivity range with the new Pro Click Mini wireless mouse, the Pro Type Ultra wireless keyboard, and the Pro Glide XXL mouse mat. The new Pro range features multi-device wireless connectivity, extended battery life, and a quieter sound profile. Coupled with Razer's expertise in producing high-performance, durable, ergonomic hardware, the new Pro range delivers the ideal work, home office, or mobile peripherals for today's flexible workspace locations.

As people continue to work from home, high-quality keyboards and mice have become more important to increase productivity and ensure a smoother, faster workflow. The new Pro range from Razer features the latest in hardware and software technology, honed from Razer's years of experience producing pro-level gaming devices. Combining industry-leading ergonomic designs with modern, sleek styling and high-performance gaming technologies, the Pro range delivers the comfort, battery-life and precision to enable users to win at work.

Activision Blizzard, Inc. today announced the hiring of two senior executives to help the company build a more inclusive workplace as well as diversify and grow its revenue. Julie Hodges, Senior Vice President, Corporate HR and Compensation, Benefits and Talent Acquisition at The Walt Disney Company, will become Chief People Officer, effective September 21. Sandeep Dube, Senior Vice President, Revenue Management at Delta Airlines, will become Chief Commercial Officer, effective September 27.

"These two outstanding leaders from companies with exceptional reputations will help us achieve our goal of becoming the best company to work for in the entertainment industry while growing our reach, engagement and player investment," said Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. Ms. Hodges brings more than three decades of global human resources experience in entertainment and an impeccable record of shaping corporate culture. She will be responsible for the company's global talent organization, making Activision Blizzard the destination for top talent. In her role, she will lead all aspects of human resources, including diversity, equity and inclusion, talent acquisition, employee experience, learning and development, compensation and benefits and workforce planning.

Intel Corporation today announced the appointment of Sunil Shenoy as senior vice president and general manager of the Design Engineering Group, effective Feb. 1. Shenoy, a 33-year Intel veteran who departed in 2014, returns to the company to lead the critical work of design, development, validation and manufacturing of intellectual properties and system-on-chips (SOC) for client and data center applications. Shenoy will report to current CEO Bob Swan until Feb. 15, after which he will report to incoming CEO Pat Gelsinger.

"Sunil is a proven engineering leader who has deep experience in microprocessor and SoC design and R&D," said Swan. "His experience inside and outside of Intel will enable him to combine the best of Intel culture with an entrepreneurial spirit and fresh perspective as we work to strengthen the company's technical leadership team and to coach and develop a new generation of technical talent."

Karen Walker, a veteran of more than 20 years of global technology industry marketing, will join Intel as senior vice president and chief marketing officer (CMO), effective Oct. 23. Walker will oversee Intel's global marketing group and be responsible for building and strengthening Intel's brand, supporting growth strategies, cultivating opportunities in new and existing markets, and increasing demand for Intel's products and solutions globally.

"Karen is a truly world-class CMO," said Bob Swan, Intel's CEO. "She has deep experience with many of our most valued customers and a keen understanding of what it will take to play an even larger role in their success. We are excited to have Karen on our leadership team."