AMD CEO Hector Ruiz Challenges Congressional Internet Caucus To Focus On Innovation And Competition

- States U.S. Has Opportunity to Improve the World through Technological Innovation -
- Identifies Competition as Critical Driver of Innovation and U.S. Competitiveness -

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- March 15, 2006 -- “You can’t have competitiveness without competition,” said AMD Chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz in a speech this morning on Capitol Hill as part of the Congressional Internet Caucus Speakers Series.

Ruiz, recently appointed to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), applauded President Bush’s recently-announced “American Competitiveness Agenda” and legislative efforts moving through Congress that focus on innovation and technology a “a much-needed wake-up call,” but cautioned: “The bottom line is that all the investment, research and specialized education in the world won’t amount to a growing, dynamic economy without competition.”

The Congressional Internet Caucus is a bi-partisan group composed of more than 170 House and Senate members who are committed to educating their colleagues in federal government regarding the many ways that the Internet can be leveraged.

“As technology leaders and policy-makers, we have the power to effect change both around the world and here at home,” Ruiz told Caucus members. “We have the ability to empower – to turn dreams into reality – and we cannot let this opportunity pass us by.”

Recalling his childhood in Mexico when “America beckoned to me as the land of opportunity,” he challenged the audience to focus on innovation and competition as a way “to ensure that America remains a land of great opportunity.”

Describing AMD’s groundbreaking “50x15 Initiative,” a bold commitment to empower 50 percent of the world’s population with affordable Internet access and computing capability by the year 2015, Ruiz asserted that “Innovation should be focused on solving real-world problems. Opportunity does not come from charity; it comes from empowerment.”

Ruiz showcased AMD’s Personal Internet Communicator, or PIC, one of a growing portfolio of devices being offered by AMD and its partners to achieve the goals of 50x15. The PIC was designed specifically to meet the needs of first-time technology users in high growth markets. He explained how the PIC proved useful following Hurricane Katrina, when AMD set up computer labs at shelters in Austin, Houston and San Antonio where evacuees used the devices to contact loved ones and find assistance from relief agencies.

Ruiz also highlighted some of the many ways AMD is leading the technology industry, designing the world’s most innovative computing solutions for its customers and consumers – from cutting-edge filmmakers and Grammy-winning recording artists, to supercomputing pioneer Cray, who partnered with AMD to build one of the world’s largest and fastest supercomputers, called “Red Storm,” for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories. Sandia National Laboratories’ Red Storm supercomputer relies on AMD Opteron™ microprocessors to help to ensure the safety of America’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

AMD’s Ruiz joins a distinguished group of speakers who have headlined past events in the Congressional Internet Caucus Speakers Series. In previous years, featured luminaries have included Tim Berners-Lee, Bill Gates, Vint Cerf, Peter Chernin, Michael Eisner, and Meg Whitman among many others. The annual series is hosted by the Congressional Internet Caucus and its Co-Chairs, Senators Burns (R-MT) and Leahy (D-VT) and Congressmen Goodlatte (R-VA) and Boucher (D-VA).

AMD’s Position on Fair and Open Competition
AMD stands for fair and open competition and the value and variety competition delivers to the marketplace. Innovative AMD technology allows users to break free to reach new levels of performance, productivity and creativity. Businesses and consumers should have the freedom to choose from a range of competitive products that come from continuous innovation. When market forces work, consumers have choice and everyone wins. For more information, please visit http://www.amd.com/breakfree.

About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is a leading global provider of innovative microprocessor solutions for computing, communications and consumer electronics markets. Founded in 1969, AMD is dedicated to delivering superior computing solutions based on customer needs that empower users worldwide. For more information, visit www.amd.com.

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