AMD Believes There Is Life After 40

Advanced Micro Devices is kicking off a year-long celebration of its 40th year in existence with a contest that asks users to show their affection for the company on video and in photos.

AMD turns 40 on 1 May. “Forty years in any industry is a major achievement, but doing so in the rapidly changing, competitive semiconductor business is an enduring testament to the dedication and talent of AMD employees and alumni,” President and CEO Dirk Meyer said in a statement.

The contests AMD announced on 30 April is the first two in a series that AMD officials say are designed to thank users of their technology. In all, the contests will give away 80 prizes, with the winners taking away AMD products.

The first contest asks AMD users to submit brief—but creative—videos wishing the company a happy birthday. Winners get an AMD ATI Radeon HD 4650 graphics card.

In another contest that can net winners an AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition processor, users can submit photos showing how much they love AMD products. Other participants will be able to win an Athlon 7850 chip.

Later this year, the company will roll out two more contests in which winners can take home AMD-powered notebooks and gaming consoles.

The celebrations at a time when AMD is trying to find its footing, six years after launching its first Opteron server processor and making its strongest run at rival chip maker Intel. After changing the x86 chip landscape with the Opteron, AMD has been trying to regain some momentum while battling Intel and a global recession.

AMD, which has shed hundreds of jobs in recent months, announced on 21 April  that it saw first-quarter revenues drop 21 percent over the same period in 2008, to more than $1.17 billion (£790m), and lost $416 million.

However, a report from Mercury Research released April 30 indicated that while Intel continues to hold a dominant 78.6 percent market share in the x86 chip market, AMD’s share in the first quarter 2009 improved to 20.9 percent, higher than the 20.6 percent it held during the first quarter last year.