AMD Keynote at CES 2021 Touts Computing Power’s Role in Connectivity During Pandemic

January 18, 2021 –AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su showcased the chip company’s advances in processing during her Tuesday CES 2021 keynote, acknowledging the need for technology for work, school, and entertainment during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

More screen time and gaming calls for high-performance computing, she said.

More example, more than 3.5 trillion minutes of meeting time on popular videoconference platform Zoom have been recorded. Microsoft Teams now boasts 115 million daily active users.

Panos Panay, chief product officer at Microsoft, said during a conversation with Su that “people are learning to work differently. How we work and learn, and the game is changing.” He added that Microsoft Teams is not merely a productivity tool for work, but a means to “connect with other humans.”

In 2020, 300 million personal computers were sold 2020, with more expected in 2021. AMD announced its AMD Ryzen 5000 Series Mobile Processors powered by its Zen 3 core architecture, driven by demand from gamers desiring more portable notebooks.

Gaming is larger than the movie and music industries combined, panelists said with 3.1 billion people playing games globally.

Hewlett Packard CEO Enrique Flores also spoke during Su’s keynote, highlighting the importance of PCs for kids playing at home, family entertainment at home, and connecting offices to home.

Francois Chardavoine, vice president of technology for Lucasfilm, emphasized the partnership between Lucasfilm and AMD. Lucasfilm recently built a new studio from scratch in Sydney, Australia, that required its render farm to be made with AMD’s powerful processor chips, threads, and cores in mind.

Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing added that Lenovo “believes this new lifestyle is here to stay,” in referencing the COVID-19 pandemic as it has affected personal computer use.

Mercedes AMG Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton and CEO Toto Wolff said that Mercedes’ sports car uses AMD to power its data from its real and virtual wind tunnels for research. At the same time, Hamilton enjoys carrying around his Play Station 5 and gaming monitor wherever he goes, also powered by AMD’s processing chips.

These real and virtual wind tunnels uses a crazy amount of computer power, said Hamilton.