Advanced Micro Devices Inc. said on Wednesday it has begun selling a notebook computer chip called Turion 64, designed to compete with Intel Corp.'s Centrino brand and give the company a foothold in the fastest-growing segment of the PC market.
The Turion brand, designed for the thin-and-light notebook market, will be used in PCs built by Acer Inc., Fujitsu Siemens, and Packard Bell, AMD said. Hewlett-Packard Co., the number-two PC maker and a key partner of AMD, was not on the initial list of PC vendors using the chip.
AMD also sells notebook PCs under the Athlon and Sempron brands. It first announced the Turion name in January, choosing it for its closeness to "tour" and the evocation of the open road.
Sunnyvale, California-based AMD sold less than 9 percent of all notebook computer microprocessors last year, according to research firm IDC. Intel, the world's largest chip maker, has a commanding 86 percent market share. Sales of notebook PCs are growing faster than desktop PC sales, analysts say.
While clearly matched up against Intel's Centrino, the two brands are based upon significantly different strategies.
The Centrino brand includes three chips — a microprocessor, an auxiliary chip set, and a wireless chip, all made by Intel. PC makers must buy all three chips from Intel to be able to use the Centrino name.
Turion 64, however, is the name of just a microprocessor. AMD allows PC makers to select wireless cards and chip sets from other suppliers, a decision it says gives customers flexibility to design systems as they prefer.
Seven models of Turion 64 are available for sale immediately, AMD said, at prices ranging from $189 to $354 each in 1,000-unit quantities. Intel charges between $209 and $637 for Pentium M, the microprocessor component of the Centrino brand.
