AMD Forms JV For China’s Education Market

AMD on Tuesday announced it has signed a agreement with China Basic Education Software Company, Ltd. (CBE) to form a joint venture to develop computers for the education market in China.

The new research and development joint venture, called the Beijing CBE AMD Information Technology Company, Ltd. (ITC JV), is planning to develop three types of hardware platforms: a Student PC, a Teacher PC and a Classroom Server. In addition, the JV will provide learning tools for the students, teachers, and classrooms of China.

The move opens a new door for AMD to tap into China’s market of 215 million students — a point not lost on AMD president and chief executive officer Hector Ruiz during today’s formal signing ceremony.

“AMD is committed to advancing the technology market in China, a nation that is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing semiconductor markets,” Ruiz said in a prepared statement.

The new platforms will, of course, contain AMD silicon crossing all three of AMD’s product lines: x86 microprocessors, MIPS-based embedded processors, and Flash memory devices.

The JV was formalized in a signing ceremony that took place today in Shanghai by Ruiz and CBE board chairman Wang Xiao Wu. It is subject to regulatory approval.