AMD’s Strategic Engagement and Innovation in the Middle East

Integrator Media had an exclusive interview with Zaid Ghattas, Senior Regional Manager at AMD, who discussed the company’s extensive engagement with the Middle East market, emphasizing their collaborations with local businesses, educational institutions, and government bodies to advance technology and foster skill development.

He highlighted AMD’s customized approach in sectors like banking, where their technologies have seen notable adoption, and emphasized the importance of user feedback from the region in shaping AMD’s product development and enhancements. This strategic focus aims to meet the specific needs of Middle Eastern users while driving innovation in the industry.

What innovative solutions is AMD offering in the Middle East market to enhance user experience?

AMD stands as a key driver of next-generation compute power. Our reach extends across various components within the computing landscape. We are a leading force behind some of the world’s most powerful and efficient supercomputers. Our leadership extends to server CPUs with our EPYC line, and GPUs with both consumer-focused Radeon and commercially oriented Instinct offerings.

Our portfolio extends to the embedded segment with offerings like the AECG product line, including the Xidax series. Our product suite spans the entire spectrum of computing, from edge devices to the cloud.  Furthermore, it incorporates the highly successful Ryzen processors, including Ryzen AI variants.  Our collaborative approach with customers prioritizes providing silicon solutions that empower the next generation of computing experiences across the entire edge-to-cloud landscape.

How will the rapid growth in cloud computing impact product development, market strategies, and partnerships in the region?

AMD fosters a collaborative environment within the industry ecosystem. We actively partner with leading cloud service providers like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, alongside established in-country service providers.  This strategic approach ensures that our high-performance CPUs and GPUs are readily available within the Middle East market. As cloud adoption accelerates, concerns regarding operational expenditure (OPEX) are rising.  By providing efficient hardware solutions, AMD positions itself as a trusted partner capable of optimizing overall OPEX and delivering a superior operational expense experience.

4th Gen EPYC CPUs offer enhanced performance, and lower energy consumption. This ties into AMD’s sustainability focus, condensing data center infrastructure by offering CPUs with high performance at lower power. 

How do you address the growth of data centers in the Middle East and related sustainability efforts?

The UAE and Saudi Arabia, especially, are experiencing explosive data center growth.  Aligning with the UAE’s focus on sustainability, exemplified by last year’s COP28 conference, AMD offers solutions across various sectors to address this growth.

AMD actively supports public sector clients in education, aviation, transportation, and beyond.  Our primary focus is equipping them with the high-performance silicon solutions critical for success in today’s era of exponential AI growth. AI is a top priority for both public and private entities in the UAE. We are working collaboratively to identify use cases, and some truly innovative applications are being developed locally.  

AMD prioritizes delivering exceptional performance across CPUs, GPUs, and embedded systems. This commitment extends to lowering power consumption, resulting in superior performance compared to competitors. Our ongoing design advancements ensure this leadership in efficient computing.

How does AMD collaborate with local businesses, educational institutions, and government bodies in the Middle East?

AMD actively collaborates with leading tier-one customers across the region.  We engage with diverse verticals including oil and gas, research, education, and banking.  This close collaboration allows us to gather invaluable customer feedback that fuels our product development and ensures we deliver solutions that meet their evolving needs.  A prime example is our successful partnership with Emirates National Bank of Dubai (Emirates NBD).

Do you think AI is significantly exploring the banking sector, and is this development beneficial for the industry overall?

AI is a dominant trend across industries, with CIOs and AI managers actively exploring its potential. Banking is a prime example, where AI enhances customer experience and optimizes internal productivity.  The ability of AI to deliver these benefits makes it a valuable tool across various sectors, from education to infrastructure. AI is rapidly integrating into our daily lives, impacting both business (B2B) and consumer (B2C) experiences. AMD actively collaborates with creators and the gaming community to harness AI’s potential in B2C applications. From AI-powered gaming experiences on PS5 to AI-integrated laptops, AI is undeniably shaping the future. The Middle East is experiencing a surge in AI adoption, fueled by customer demand and government initiatives.

Have AMD technologies seen notable adoption in specific industries? If so, how does AMD customize its products to meet the unique requirements of these industries?

AMD actively collaborates across numerous sectors, including banking, education, healthcare, and public services. Our successful partnership with Emirates NBD in banking exemplifies the benefits we offer.  We leverage extensive customer feedback, encompassing performance, sustainability, and power efficiency, to guide our product development and deliver solutions tailored to their specific needs.

Sustainability is a key concern for CIOs, with environmental friendliness and power efficiency becoming crucial factors in technology decisions.  AMD prioritizes customer feedback in product development, ensuring our solutions balance performance with sustainability to meet both performance and cost (OPEX/CAPEX) objectives.  This focus on energy efficiency establishes AMD as a leader in providing environmentally friendly computing solutions.

AMD’s single- and dual-socket server solutions deliver exceptional performance with a reduced footprint, addressing sustainability concerns for CIOs.  This focus on efficiency, coupled with high performance, positions AMD as the ideal choice for diverse industries seeking environmentally friendly computing power.

How does AMD actively engage with users in the Middle East to get feedback? How does this input influence the company’s product development and enhancement?

Our recently launched Instinct MI300X excels in AI applications and is available through major OEMs like Dell and HP. Additionally, AMD has upcoming solutions for end-user and edge devices, building on the momentum from our CES announcements.

Beyond data centers, AMD is bringing AI to the edge with our Ryzen AI capabilities, announced at CES.  This on-device AI processing empowers users with new possibilities, enabling applications like object detection and HR tasks at the edge, reducing reliance on data center processing.

AMD stands out as a leader in equipping edge devices with AI capabilities through our Ryzen AI technology. A diverse portfolio of Ryzen AI-powered products from our partners is now available across the region. Furthermore, we empower software developers by providing tools that facilitate the creation of innovative use cases leveraging Ryzen AI’s potential.