AMD Reports Fourth Quarter and Annual 2016 Financial Results

February 1, 2017

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 1 — ​AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) has announced revenue for the fourth quarter of 2016 of $1.11 billion, operating loss of $3 million and net loss of $51 million, or $0.06 per share. Non-GAAP operating income was $26 million, non-GAAP net loss was $8 million and non-GAAP loss per share was $0.01.

“We met our strategic objectives in 2016, successfully executing our product roadmaps, regaining share in key markets, strengthening our financial foundation, and delivering annual revenue growth,” said Dr. Lisa Su, AMD president and CEO. “As we enter 2017, we are well positioned and on-track to deliver our strongest set of high-performance computing and graphics products in more than a decade.”

Q4 2016 Results

  • Q4 2016 was a 14-week fiscal quarter compared to 13-week fiscal quarters for Q3 2016 and Q4 2015.
  • Revenue of $1.11 billion was up 15 percent year-over-year, primarily due to higher GPU sales. Revenue was down 15 percent sequentially, primarily driven by seasonally lower sales of semi-custom SoCs.
  • On a GAAP basis, gross margin was 32 percent, up 2 percentage points year-over-year and up 27 percentage points sequentially as Q3 2016 gross margin was negatively impacted by a $340 million charge (WSA charge) related to the sixth amendment of the wafer supply agreement with GLOBALFOUNDRIES. Operating loss was $3 million compared to an operating loss of $49 million a year ago and an operating loss of $293 million in the prior quarter. The year-over-year improvement was primarily due to higher revenue and IP monetization licensing gain while the sequential improvement is primarily due to the absence of the WSA charge offset by lower fourth quarter revenue. Net loss was $51 million compared to a net loss of $102 million a year ago and net loss of $406 million in the prior quarter. Loss per share was $0.06 compared to a loss per share of $0.13 a year ago and loss per share of $0.50 in the prior quarter.
  • On a non-GAAP basis, gross margin was 32 percent, up 2 percentage points year-over-year and up 1 percentage point sequentially primarily due to higher Computing and Graphics segment revenue. Operating income was $26 million compared to an operating loss of $39 million a year ago and operating income of $70 million in the prior quarter. Operating income was lower in the current quarter due to lower revenue. Net loss was $8 million compared to net loss of $79 million a year ago and net income of $27 million in the prior quarter. Loss per share was $0.01 compared to a loss per share of $0.10 a year ago and earnings per share of $0.03 in the prior quarter.
  • Cash and cash equivalents were $1.26 billion at the end of the quarter, up $6 million from the end of the prior quarter.

2016 Annual Results

  • Revenue of $4.27 billion, up 7 percent on an annual basis, increased in both reportable segments.
  • On a GAAP basis, gross margin was 23 percent, down 4 percentage points from the prior year primarily due to the WSA charge. Operating loss was $372 million compared to an operating loss of $481 million in the prior year. Operating loss improvement was due to higher revenue, lower restructuring charges, and an IP monetization licensing gain, offset by the WSA charge. Net loss was $497 million compared to a net loss of $660 million in the prior year. Loss per share was $0.60 compared to a loss per share of $0.84 in 2015.
  • On a non-GAAP basis, gross margin was 31 percent, up 3 percentage points year-over-year  primarily due to improved product mix and an inventory write-down recorded in Q3 2015. Operating income was $44 million compared to an operating loss of $253 million in the prior year. Operating income improvement was primarily related to higher revenue and the IP monetization licensing gain. Net loss was $117 million compared to a net loss of $419 million in the prior year. Loss per share was $0.14 compared to a loss per share of $0.54 in 2015.
  • Cash and cash equivalents were $1.26 billion at the end of the year, up from $785 million at the end of the prior year.

Quarterly Financial Segment Summary

  • Computing and Graphics segment revenue was $600 million, up 28 percent year-over-year and 27 percent sequentially. The year-over-year increase was primarily driven by higher GPU sales. The sequential increase was primarily due to higher GPU and client processor sales.
    • Operating loss was $21 million, compared to an operating loss of $99 million in Q4 2015 and an operating loss of $66 million in Q3 2016. The year-over-year and sequential improvements were driven primarily by higher revenue.
    • Client average selling price (ASP) was down year-over-year driven by desktop processors, and down sequentially driven by desktop and mobile processors.
    • GPU ASP increased year-over-year due to higher desktop and professional graphics ASPs. GPU ASP increased sequentially due to higher mobile and professional graphics ASPs.
  • Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom segment revenue was $506 million, up 4 percent year-over-year primarily driven by higher embedded and semi-custom SoC revenue. Sequentially, revenue decreased 39 percent due to seasonally lower sales of semi-custom SoCs.
    • Operating income was $47 million compared to $59 million in Q4 2015 and $136 million in Q3 2016. The year-over-year decrease was primarily driven by higher R&D investments in Q4 2016, partially offset by an IP monetization licensing gain. The sequential decrease was primarily due to seasonally lower sales of semi-custom SoCs.
  • All Other operating loss was $29 million compared with an operating loss of $9 million in Q4 2015 and an operating loss of $363 million in Q3 2016. The year-over-year operating loss increase was primarily related to higher stock-based compensation charges in Q4 2016. The sequential improvement was primarily due to the absence of the WSA charge.

Q4 2016 Highlights

  • AMD disclosed new details on its upcoming CPU and GPU architectures and offerings:
    • AMD delivered new details on the architecture, go-to-market plans, and performance of upcoming “Zen”-based processors:
      • Revealed Ryzen, the brand that will span “Zen”-based desktop (codenamed “Summit Ridge”) and notebook (codenamed “Raven Ridge”) products.
      • Introduced AMD SenseMI technology, a set of sensing, adapting, and learning features built into AMD Ryzen processors. AMD SenseMI technology is a key enabler of AMD’s landmark generational increase of greater than 40 percent in instructions per clock with its “Zen” core architecture.
      • Delivered a first look at the impressive gaming capabilities of an AMD Ryzen CPU and Vega GPU-based desktop system running Star Wars:  Battlefront – Rogue One in 4K at more than 60 frames per second.
      • Showcased ecosystem readiness and the breadth of partner support for forthcoming Ryzen desktop processors with new AM4 motherboards and ‘Dream PCs’ from global system integrators (SIs), as well as upcoming third-party AM4 thermal solutions.
    • AMD introduced preliminary details of its forthcoming Vega GPU architecture designed to address the most data- and visually-intensive next-generation workloads. Key architecture advancements include a differentiated memory subsystem, next-generation geometry pipeline, new compute engine, and a new pixel engine. GPU products based on the Vega architecture are expected to ship in the second quarter of 2017.
  • AMD announced a new collaboration with Google, making Radeon GPU technology available to Google Cloud Platform users worldwide starting in 2017 to help accelerate Google Compute Engine and Google Cloud Machine Learning services.
  • To accelerate the machine intelligence era in server computing, AMD unveiled the Radeon Instinct initiative, a new suite of GPU hardware and open-source software offerings designed to dramatically increase performance, efficiency, and ease of implementation of deep learning and high-performance compute (HPC) workloads. Radeon Instinct products are expected to ship in 1H 2017.
  • AMD introduced several new products and technologies in the quarter, including:
    • New 7th Generation AMD PRO Processor-based commercial desktops and notebooks from Lenovo.
    • Radeon Pro WX Series of professional graphics cards based on the Polaris architecture, featuring fourth-generation Graphics Core Next (GCN) technology, and engineered on the 14nm FinFET process.
    •  A new family of power-efficient graphics processors, the Radeon Pro 400 Series, first available in the all-new 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro.
    • Radeon FreeSync 2 technology, the next major milestone in delivering smooth gameplay and advanced pixel integrity to gamers, with planned availability to consumers in 1H 2017, adding to the 100+ FreeSync monitors already available today.
    • Radeon Pro Software EnterpriseRadeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition, and updates to the Radeon Open Compute Platform (ROCm) software solutions.

Current Outlook

For Q1 2017, AMD expects revenue to decrease 11 percent sequentially, plus or minus 3 percent. The midpoint of guidance would result in Q1 2017 revenue increasing approximately 18 percent year-over-year. For additional details regarding AMD’s results and outlook please see the CFO commentary posted at quarterlyearnings.amd.com.

About AMD

For more than 45 years, AMD has driven innovation in high-performance computing, graphics, and visualization technologies — the building blocks for gaming, immersive platforms, and the datacenter. Hundreds of millions of consumers, leading Fortune 500 businesses, and cutting-edge scientific research facilities around the world rely on AMD technology daily to improve how they live, work, and play. AMD employees around the world are focused on building great products that push the boundaries of what is possible. For more information about how AMD is enabling today and inspiring tomorrow, visit the AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) websiteblogFacebook and Twitter pages.


Source: AMD

Subscribe to HPCwire's Weekly Update!

Be the most informed person in the room! Stay ahead of the tech trends with industry updates delivered to you every week!

Nvidia Showcases Work with Quantum Centers at ISC24

May 13, 2024

With quantum computing surging in Europe, Nvidia took advantage of ISC24 to showcase its efforts working with quantum development centers. Currently, Nvidia GPUs are dominant inside classical systems used for quantum sim Read more…

ISC24: Hyperion Research Predicts HPC Market Rebound after Flat 2023

May 13, 2024

First, the top line: the overall HPC market was flat in 2023 at roughly $37 billion, bogged down by supply chain issues and slowed acceptance of some larger systems (e.g. exascale), according to Hyperion Research’s ann Read more…

Top 500: Aurora Breaks into Exascale, but Can’t Get to the Frontier of HPC

May 13, 2024

The 63rd installment of the TOP500 list is available today in coordination with the kickoff of ISC 2024 in Hamburg, Germany. Once again, the Frontier system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, USA, retains its Read more…

Harvard/Google Use AI to Help Produce Astonishing 3D Map of Brain Tissue

May 10, 2024

Although LLMs are getting all the notice lately, AI techniques of many varieties are being infused throughout science. For example, Harvard researchers, Google, and colleagues published a 3D map in Science this week that Read more…

ISC Preview: Focus Will Be on Top500 and HPC Diversity 

May 9, 2024

Last year's Supercomputing 2023 in November had record attendance, but the direction of high-performance computing was a hot topic on the floor. Expect more of that at the upcoming ISC High Performance 2024, which is hap Read more…

Processor Security: Taking the Wong Path

May 9, 2024

More research at UC San Diego revealed yet another side-channel attack on x86_64 processors. The research identified a new vulnerability that allows precise control of conditional branch prediction in modern processors.� Read more…

ISC24: Hyperion Research Predicts HPC Market Rebound after Flat 2023

May 13, 2024

First, the top line: the overall HPC market was flat in 2023 at roughly $37 billion, bogged down by supply chain issues and slowed acceptance of some larger sys Read more…

Top 500: Aurora Breaks into Exascale, but Can’t Get to the Frontier of HPC

May 13, 2024

The 63rd installment of the TOP500 list is available today in coordination with the kickoff of ISC 2024 in Hamburg, Germany. Once again, the Frontier system at Read more…

ISC Preview: Focus Will Be on Top500 and HPC Diversity 

May 9, 2024

Last year's Supercomputing 2023 in November had record attendance, but the direction of high-performance computing was a hot topic on the floor. Expect more of Read more…

Illinois Considers $20 Billion Quantum Manhattan Project Says Report

May 7, 2024

There are multiple reports that Illinois governor Jay Robert Pritzker is considering a $20 billion Quantum Manhattan-like project for the Chicago area. Accordin Read more…

The NASA Black Hole Plunge

May 7, 2024

We have all thought about it. No one has done it, but now, thanks to HPC, we see what it looks like. Hold on to your feet because NASA has released videos of wh Read more…

How Nvidia Could Use $700M Run.ai Acquisition for AI Consumption

May 6, 2024

Nvidia is touching $2 trillion in market cap purely on the brute force of its GPU sales, and there's room for the company to grow with software. The company hop Read more…

Hyperion To Provide a Peek at Storage, File System Usage with Global Site Survey

May 3, 2024

Curious how the market for distributed file systems, interconnects, and high-end storage is playing out in 2024? Then you might be interested in the market anal Read more…

Qubit Watch: Intel Process, IBM’s Heron, APS March Meeting, PsiQuantum Platform, QED-C on Logistics, FS Comparison

May 1, 2024

Intel has long argued that leveraging its semiconductor manufacturing prowess and use of quantum dot qubits will help Intel emerge as a leader in the race to de Read more…

Nvidia H100: Are 550,000 GPUs Enough for This Year?

August 17, 2023

The GPU Squeeze continues to place a premium on Nvidia H100 GPUs. In a recent Financial Times article, Nvidia reports that it expects to ship 550,000 of its lat Read more…

Synopsys Eats Ansys: Does HPC Get Indigestion?

February 8, 2024

Recently, it was announced that Synopsys is buying HPC tool developer Ansys. Started in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1970 as Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc. (SASI) by John Swanson (and eventually renamed), Ansys serves the CAE (Computer Aided Engineering)/multiphysics engineering simulation market. Read more…

Intel’s Server and PC Chip Development Will Blur After 2025

January 15, 2024

Intel's dealing with much more than chip rivals breathing down its neck; it is simultaneously integrating a bevy of new technologies such as chiplets, artificia Read more…

Comparing NVIDIA A100 and NVIDIA L40S: Which GPU is Ideal for AI and Graphics-Intensive Workloads?

October 30, 2023

With long lead times for the NVIDIA H100 and A100 GPUs, many organizations are looking at the new NVIDIA L40S GPU, which it’s a new GPU optimized for AI and g Read more…

Choosing the Right GPU for LLM Inference and Training

December 11, 2023

Accelerating the training and inference processes of deep learning models is crucial for unleashing their true potential and NVIDIA GPUs have emerged as a game- Read more…

Shutterstock 1606064203

Meta’s Zuckerberg Puts Its AI Future in the Hands of 600,000 GPUs

January 25, 2024

In under two minutes, Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, laid out the company's AI plans, which included a plan to build an artificial intelligence system with the eq Read more…

AMD MI3000A

How AMD May Get Across the CUDA Moat

October 5, 2023

When discussing GenAI, the term "GPU" almost always enters the conversation and the topic often moves toward performance and access. Interestingly, the word "GPU" is assumed to mean "Nvidia" products. (As an aside, the popular Nvidia hardware used in GenAI are not technically... Read more…

Nvidia’s New Blackwell GPU Can Train AI Models with Trillions of Parameters

March 18, 2024

Nvidia's latest and fastest GPU, codenamed Blackwell, is here and will underpin the company's AI plans this year. The chip offers performance improvements from Read more…

Leading Solution Providers

Contributors

Shutterstock 1285747942

AMD’s Horsepower-packed MI300X GPU Beats Nvidia’s Upcoming H200

December 7, 2023

AMD and Nvidia are locked in an AI performance battle – much like the gaming GPU performance clash the companies have waged for decades. AMD has claimed it Read more…

Eyes on the Quantum Prize – D-Wave Says its Time is Now

January 30, 2024

Early quantum computing pioneer D-Wave again asserted – that at least for D-Wave – the commercial quantum era has begun. Speaking at its first in-person Ana Read more…

The GenAI Datacenter Squeeze Is Here

February 1, 2024

The immediate effect of the GenAI GPU Squeeze was to reduce availability, either direct purchase or cloud access, increase cost, and push demand through the roof. A secondary issue has been developing over the last several years. Even though your organization secured several racks... Read more…

The NASA Black Hole Plunge

May 7, 2024

We have all thought about it. No one has done it, but now, thanks to HPC, we see what it looks like. Hold on to your feet because NASA has released videos of wh Read more…

Intel Plans Falcon Shores 2 GPU Supercomputing Chip for 2026  

August 8, 2023

Intel is planning to onboard a new version of the Falcon Shores chip in 2026, which is code-named Falcon Shores 2. The new product was announced by CEO Pat Gel Read more…

GenAI Having Major Impact on Data Culture, Survey Says

February 21, 2024

While 2023 was the year of GenAI, the adoption rates for GenAI did not match expectations. Most organizations are continuing to invest in GenAI but are yet to Read more…

Q&A with Nvidia’s Chief of DGX Systems on the DGX-GB200 Rack-scale System

March 27, 2024

Pictures of Nvidia's new flagship mega-server, the DGX GB200, on the GTC show floor got favorable reactions on social media for the sheer amount of computing po Read more…

How the Chip Industry is Helping a Battery Company

May 8, 2024

Chip companies, once seen as engineering pure plays, are now at the center of geopolitical intrigue. Chip manufacturing firms, especially TSMC and Intel, have b Read more…

  • arrow
  • Click Here for More Headlines
  • arrow
HPCwire