裁员潮：AMD砍掉15%，Sony裁减2000人

超微(AMD)上周宣布，为降低成本，将裁减15%员工，但该公司将积极进军嵌入式市场，以弥补在可预见的未来PC销售额的持续下滑。 超微2012年第三季营收为12.7亿美元，较前一季下降10%。之前AMD曾预估其第三季营收介于13.8亿美元和14亿美元之间，较前一季下跌幅度在1%~3%之间。 AMD表示裁员人 数约1,700人，预估能为该公司在第四季节省2,000万美元费用，2013年更可节省1.9亿美元。整体来说，这将能让AMD节省25%的开支。“我 们正在重建新的业务模式，以便在明年此时能达到可实现收支平衡的13亿美元季收入目标，”AMD CEO Rory Read表示。 但PC市场的衰退也让AMD策略大幅转变，该公司表示将运用IP和新的处理器技术进军嵌入式市场，预估未来一年内AMD来自嵌入式市场的销售额将可成长一倍。 “我们的低功耗APU、绘图IP和可重用的设计模块都是独特优势，让我们可以为全新的嵌入式市场提供半客制化的APU，”Read说。他表示，AMD将针对包含通讯、工业和游戏在内的嵌入式市场。在可预见的未来，“这将超越PC的成长。” Read表示，AMD的APU已经获得了数量可观的设计订单，但他拒绝透露细节。 在AMD之后，日本索尼(Sony)则是在稍早前宣布2013年三月前，将透过提前退休计划等措施裁减日本国内2,000名员工。据表示，此一最新的重组措施，将会对Sony日本总部和电子业务造成影响。 此次裁员是该公司今年4月宣布裁减10,000名员工计划的一部分。Sony高层指出，其裁员计划预计将裁减约3,000~4,000名的日本员工。 Sony最近已藉由将旗下化工产品业务出售给日本开发银行削减了1,800名员工。 而上周五Sony公布将闭闭岐箪县的制造业务。该厂主要负责生产Sony数字单眼相机的可替换镜头、镜头模块和手机。 这家业绩疲弱的日本消费电子公司在2012年第三季录得4,570亿日圆(约55.5亿美元)的净亏损，而这已经是连续第四年亏损。 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 编译： Joy Teng 参考英文原文：AMD lays off 15 percent, eyes embedded push、Sony to cut 2,000 workers in Japan，by Brian Fuller, Junko Yoshida

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{pagination} AMD lays off 15 percent, eyes embedded push Brian Fuller SAN FRANCISCO--Advanced Micro Devices, staggered by a poor global consumer economy and strategic missteps, will lay off 15 percent of its employees to cut costs while undertaking an aggressive push into embedded markets to counter declining PC sales that will continue "for the foreseeable future," executives said. In a conference call regarding the microprocessor company's third-quarter revenues, executives said sales dropped 10 percent sequentially to $1.27 billion in the third quarter, or $157 million. AMD had previously said it expected sales in Q3 (which closed Sept. 29) to be between and $1.38 billion and $1.4 billion, a range of 1 percent to down 3 percent sequentially. The roughly 1,700 layoffs will save AMD $20 million in Q4 and $190 million in 2013, officials said. Overall this lowers AMD expenses by 25 percent. "We are resetting to new business model to deliver break-even results with $1.3 billion quarerly revenue" by this time next year, CEO Rory Read said, reading from a prepared statement. Interim CFO Devinder Kumar offered little insight into where the cuts might come, other than to say "it's across all functions and globally." 'Tough spot' For the fourth quarter, revenue will decrease 9 percent sequentially, plus or minus 4 percent, with flat operating expenses, the company said. Among the highlights from AMD's results were: · Gross margin (31 percent) decreased sequentially due to an inventory write-down of approximately $100 million primarily consisting of first generation A-Series Accelerated Processor Units (APUs) (“Llano”), weaker-than-expected demand. · Computing Solutions segment sales dropped 11 percent sequentially and 28 percent year-over-year. · Graphics segment revenue decreased 7 percent sequentially and 15 percent year-over-year. Graphics processor unit (GPU) revenue decreased 14 percent sequentially due to lower unit shipments to OEMs partially offset by higher channel sales. · Trinity APU sales jumped 70 percent in the third quarter, and constituted a third of notebook shipments for the company. · AMD is getting first silicon back on its Kabini SoC and represents the company's "first true SoC design." The device is "on track" to launch in the first half of 2013. · AMD expects the embedded market to constitute 20 percent of its quarterly sales by Q4 2013, up from 5 percent today. "They're in a tough spot right now," said Patrick Moorehead, president and principal analyst with Insights & Strategy (Austin, Texas). "It's the economy which is hurting them the most, and the percentage of sales they get from consumer is dramatically higher than that of Intel." Embedded upside Acknowledging that the PC segment will be weak for at least several more quarters, Read sketched out a push into embedded areas that will leverage IP and emerging processor technology to quadruple the percentage of AMD sales from the embedded market in the coming year. "Our low-power APUs, graphics IP and reusable design blocks give us a distinct advantage to build semi-custom APUs for new embedded markets," Read said. He said AMD would target embedded markets such as communications, industrial and gaming in this push. This "will outpace the PC growth for the foreseeable future," he added. Read said AMD APUs have a "number of confidential, high-volume wins," but he refused to discuss specifics. Lisa Su, senior vice president and general manager, global business units, added, "The key differentiator we have is really in the high-performance design methodology, microprocessor technology as well as the graphics IP that we have." When pressed Su declined to name potential competition for AMD in the embedded sector. Sony to cut 2,000 workers in Japan Junko Yoshida TOKYO – Sony Corp. announced Friday (Oct. 19) that it will reduce its domestic workforce by 2,000 by March, 2013, through an early retirement program and consolidation of its domestic manufacturing sites. The latest restructuring measures will affect Sony's headquarters and electronics business operations in Japan. The move is a part of the planned 10,000 staff cuts in its global workforce announced by Sony in April. Sony executives cited the global cutbacks would include the reduction of about 3,000 to 4,000 employees in Japan. Sony has already reduced its worfforce by 1,800 through the recent sale of its chemical products businesses to the Development Bank of Japan. Friday's announcement includes the closure of Sony's manufacturing operation in Minokamo, Gifu prefecture. The company was producing interchangeable lenses for digital SLR cameras, lens blocks and mobile phones. Of the 2,000 staff cuts, 1,000 employees are in support functions, including at Sony headquarters here. The ailing Japanese consumer electronics company reported a net loss of 457 billion yen ($5.55 billion) for the fiscal year ended in March 2012 -- the fourth straight year of losses. Sony said it is expecting no impact on its consolidated results forecast for the current fiscal year since the cuts were included in the 10,000-headcount reduction and 75 billion yen ($947 million) in restructuring charges Sony previously announced. As a result of restructuring steps, Sony said it will be able to reduce its annual fixed costs of about 30 billion yen ($379 million) beginning with its next fiscal year that starts next April.