GPU War Goes MobileCall it the fight for eyeballs. Advanced Micro Devices, ARM Technology, and Intel are locked in what is turning out to be a ferocious struggle for market domination in the graphics processing unit (GPU) market, according to EBN contributor Bruce Gain, who contends the combatants are also quibbling over the central processing units (CPUs) used in the fast-growing mobile market. (See: GPU War Goes Mobile, Pitching AMD vs. ARM vs. Intel.)It's not clear yet which of the three rivals will win the greatest market share in the mobile space, but they will certainly all need hardware and software engineers, as well as other technicians skilled in design, manufacturing, distribution, supply chain management, and other management functions. Avnet Inc. (NYSE: AVT), one of the world's biggest electronics component distributors, says it is focused on such personnel issues.The Phoenix-based company recently organized its annual Avnet Tech Games events in Arizona. The occasion involved college students from all over the state bidding for scholarships "in contests like building a solar-powered water pump or engineering the fastest-computer," according to Al Maag, a vice president at Avnet and contributor to EBN. Maag, whose roots in the electronics industry date back decades -- sorry, Al, I didn't mean to put you on the spot -- was so smitten by the "Geek Generation" participants in the Avnet Tech Games he described them as the ones "who will make a difference and create the future." (See: The Geek Generation Rocks .)Talking about the future, China wants a less polluted world that uses fewer resources while generating increasing domestic product for itself. The Chinese central government has informed companies operating in its territory that it would like them to cut energy consumption over the next few years. China knows it needs more of the world's resources, especially raw materials used in the manufacture of electronics equipment, but it also knows it's getting increasingly difficult to secure the materials. By improving usage, China could potentially do more with less. (See: China Asks Industries to Cut Energy Consumption.)
