AMD CEO Predicts Pent-Up Demand Will Lead To Spending Bubble

"The worst is behind us," he told analysts attending AMD's 2003 Analyst Day at the vendor's headquarters here. "It's clear things are coming back. There could be a mini bubble [early next year] due to pent-up demand in 2003."

Ruiz said that the recovery at AMD would clearly be driven by growth in the consumer market, which he said "is projected to grow twice as fast as the commercial market."

The channel is poised to be a big beneficiary of the growth. Ruiz's upbeat outlook comes just one week after AMD launched its first formal channel program at CMP's Technology XChange Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.

About 80 percent of AMD's products flow through the channel, vendor executives said.

The AMD Solution Provider Program has three partner designations: Member, Gold and Platinum. Partners qualify for the different membership levels based on their support of AMD product and brand strategies, unit and revenue shipments of AMD processor-based products, marketing competency and sales of AMD products through participation in AMD events and training.