HP, AMD CEOs Put Emphasis on Solutions, Not Product

"Progress is not made by cynics and doubters," said Fiorina, "Progress is made by those who believe that everything is possible." And while maybe the need for technology has slowed, the need "for technology that solves real problems is stronger than it has ever been."

In her keynote, Fiorina didn't highlight any new, cool product that HP is setting on releasing. Instead, she used the time to remind the industry of its mission and "the miracle of technology." She highlighted a series of examples in which HP technology was instrumental. For example, there is the Pittsburgh Supercomputing System's terascale computing system that gives scientists a worldwide resource in the prevention and cure of diseases, storm forecasting and other research. HP hardware and software is used to power the supercomputer, which is able to perform 6 trillion calculations per second. The system is used by scientists to study complex molecular structures by creating simulations of molecular activity.

Fiorina went on to talk about the Coors brewing company and how it streamlined certain manual processes by going digital. A secure portal now is used worldwide to access templates and sanction logos as a way to centralize the printing process for marketing. And, in one of the more notable examples, Fiorina detailed a solar-powered printing and camera backpack that is used in India to make photos for ID cards. The device is making it easier for locals, who are required to carry identification, because they normally would have to spend two or three days to get the process done.

While technology may seem pervasive in most developed countries, the reality is that only 10 percent of the world population has access to it. "The success of technology is not measured in how it invades our lives but in how it supports and enhances our lives," she said.

Customers no longer want breathless hype about new or breakthrough technology, she added. Vendors were famous for telling customers during the Internet buildout what products they must implement in order to stay competitive in the new economy. But in an indication that customers have regained some control in telling vendors what they must deliver, Fiorina said "while you have told us that point products are cool, solutions are better."

On Tuesday, the day after Fiorina's keynote, Ruiz echoed the same thought with a speech themed with the slogan "Let's Get Real." The year 2002 was marked with the challenge to find the next big thing that will save the company financially. But customers have made it clear they want solutions. There often is a conflict between technology and innovation. And in the last few years, vendors have pushed the limits of capacity and speed "for no better reason other than we can," Ruiz said.

Now it's time for a change--no new technology without real customer input or customer demand, he said. Ruiz called this customer-centric innovation. Like Fiorina, he put the spotlight of several examples in which AMD played a role in enhancing the quality of life. For example, AMD technology is used by Jak Film, which George Lucas contracted to do pre-visualization effects for "Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones." Daniel Gregoire, a pre-visualization effects manager at Jak, said speed is key in his business. His company has a staff of 12 and each are responsible for three to four film shots per day. They did 4,000 pre-visualization shots for the Star Wars movie, not a simple task considering there were only 2,500 shots in the final film. But it offered Lucas many avenues to explore what would work in each scene.

"We do 90 percent of the work in 10 percent of the time," said Gregoire. "Speed is key."

While putting a lot of attention on 64-bit technology, Ruiz also spoke about a project AMD is involved in with the Ministry of Education in China, which is working on linking hundreds of schools with Internet access. It's a project that will affect 10 million teachers and 4 million classrooms. Providing world-class technology through state-of-the-art hardware represents an opportunity that is simply incalculable for the men, women and children of China, Ruiz said.

"And once one is exposed to this technology, do you think they would be willing to live without it? I don't think so," he said.