AMD backing virtual desktop push

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 30 Aug 2007 at 15:41

AMD is throwing its weight behind an internet start-up that offers consumers a virtual Windows desktop through the web browser.

Nivio, which has been in beta for the past 18 months, allows customers to rent a Windows XP environment and desktop applications that are hosted on the company's servers. It also offers additional services such as data back-up, content-on-demand and virus protection.

Nivio claims the service will save people the headache and cost of constantly keeping their software updated, as well as providing a personalised desktop for people who haven't got access to their own PC, such as students.

The company plans to offer alternative operating systems - including Vista, Linux and Mac OS X - once it launches commercially in the next few months. However, it has grander ambitions, including the option to access your virtual desktop from your mobile phone and set-top-box.

AMD says Nivio shares its vision for the future of cloud computing. "We're making chips for smartphones and digital television set-top-boxes," says Giuseppe Amato, technical director at AMD. "You can have a desktop on whatever hardware you have. Nivio puts all the complexity of managing a computer on the server side. That requires extensive experience in how to build a server farm."

Amato says AMD has also been lending the company its experience - not to mention an undisclosed sum of research funding - in other areas. "We've given Nivio advice on how to simplify the interface. If you're a beginner, you'll have an interface more like a mobile phone, with icons to click on."

Nivio isn't the first company to offer a hosted desktop solution - the concept came and went during the dotcom boom, as users struggled with both the cost and performance of the rented apps. Amato insists that performance isn't an issue now. "Only the data is streaming over the internet, applications are running on the server. You will need to buy a desktop for around $3,000 to get comparative performance."

The service will cost $7.99 per month for students, and $12.99 per month for non-academic users, with applications such as Microsoft Office costing $13 per month extra.