AMD and ATI breaking up?

JDG1980

Golden Member
Jul 18, 2013
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Very interesting news article from Reuters, posted on the CPU forum.
http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-adv...eakup-spinoff-sources-002146289--finance.html

I'm struggling to think how this could work. AMD's biggest bread-and-butter product at this time is the console APUs, which require both CPU and GPU technology. Cross-licensing between both spun-off companies would be the obvious option, but that would in effect create a third x86 licensee, and the agreement with Intel might not permit that. Alternatively, the spun-off "ATI", while still under common ownership, could be made to give a perpetual, royalty-free license to (CPU) AMD for its graphics IP, with no real consideration in return. But this would reduce the market value of "ATI" if they want to have it go public as a truly separate company.

On the other hand, it would be nice if GPU R&D wasn't starved because of the needs of the CPU division. Right now that's what has been happening; Zen is taking up the vast majority of money and manpower, and Arctic Islands (whatever it turns out to be) will come from what little is left over.
 

nurturedhate

Golden Member
Aug 27, 2011
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This isn't a story any more than someone asking me what I ate for breakfast this morning and how did I like it.

If you read the article it basically asks AMD if they thought about it and someone said "sure". That is the extent of the entire story.
 

xthetenth

Golden Member
Oct 14, 2014
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That would be insane. They're probably considering it because they're considering everything, but they're finally getting the things that would let their APUs be a real serious competitor in more than the console space.
 

railven

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2010
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Man I would love it if Intel some how secured that ATI IP.

Oh a boy can dream...
 

Azix

Golden Member
Apr 18, 2014
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Man I would love it if Intel some how secured that ATI IP.

Oh a boy can dream...

about paying 1000 dollars for a 280x equivalent. sure

The biggest thing they would bring is 14 nm but that comes for GPUs just a year after Intel went there with CPUs.
 

Abwx

Lifer
Apr 2, 2011
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As posted in the CPU forum, fud from desesperate short sellers, Fiji induced stock surge must have torned apart their leveraged positions and portfolios, at least this bs has the advantage to highlight some behaviours...
 

AnandThenMan

Diamond Member
Nov 11, 2004
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As posted in the CPU forum, fud from desesperate short sellers, Fiji induced stock surge must have torned apart their leveraged positions and portfolios, at least this bs has the advantage to highlight some behaviours...

This times infinity.
 

railven

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2010
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about paying 1000 dollars for a 280x equivalent. sure

The biggest thing they would bring is 14 nm but that comes for GPUs just a year after Intel went there with CPUs.

Huh? My i7 4790K cost me LESS than my i7 2600K cost me. And this is with AMD providing WORSE competition on the CPU side.

I don't get your logic.
 

AnandThenMan

Diamond Member
Nov 11, 2004
3,991
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Nvidia will buy AMD and Intel will buy ATI. perfect!
This will be good for graphics but really bad for Nvidia. They have zero hope of competing in pure x86 Intel has way too much of an advantage in process. And they would be competing with GPUs made in Intel's vastly superior foundries.
 

railven

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2010
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This will be good for graphics but really bad for Nvidia. They have zero hope of competing in pure x86 Intel has way too much of an advantage in process. And they would be competing with GPUs made in Intel's vastly superior foundries.

Don't rock the rhetorical boat, man! Let it happen!

That superior node, Intel funded GPU R&D with actual patents!

Hrnnnngggggggggggggg
 

happy medium

Lifer
Jun 8, 2003
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This will be good for graphics but really bad for Nvidia. They have zero hope of competing in pure x86 Intel has way too much of an advantage in process. And they would be competing with GPUs made in Intel's vastly superior foundries.

ok how about Samsung buys both AMD and Nvidia and Intel buys ATI?:thumbsup:
 

Abwx

Lifer
Apr 2, 2011
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This times infinity.

That s the maximal, if we can say so, theorical risk when shorting..

Not that i didnt warn recently that shorting AMD is extremely risky contrary to doing so with Intel, the subsequents respective evolutions of the stocks seems to validate this analysis...
 

tviceman

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2008
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Nvidia will buy AMD and Intel will buy ATI. perfect!

Nvidia cannot afford to take on AMD's debt. They don't make a large enough net income.

EDIT: The only player I'd see with any significant long-term interest would be Apple. Cook can hand over a check to cover the entire cost, then write another check identical to that one and wipe his a$$ with it. Apple would have interest in having x86 IP, and would certainly love to have their own in-house graphics design team with it's own string of IP to go with it.
 
Last edited:
Feb 19, 2009
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Apple and Samsung are only companies big enough with a portfolio that benefits from x86/x64 and graphics IP. Apple would love to go even more PRO in their mac lines and Samsung has plenty of notebook SKUs, their mobile graphics uses the generic MALI GPUs which are inferior to QC and PowerVR. The largest growth sector in computing is HPC/Servers/Supercomputers.

Both companies love total supply chain control, for more QC & profits.
 
Aug 11, 2008
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This isn't a story any more than someone asking me what I ate for breakfast this morning and how did I like it.

If you read the article it basically asks AMD if they thought about it and someone said "sure". That is the extent of the entire story.

I dont think it will happen either. But "if you read the article", it does say they hired a consulting firm to investigate it. So it is not quite the casual afterthought that you are portraying it as. That said, seems like a bad idea unless they are in such desperate shape that it is a play to get some cash to avoid bankruptcy.
 

alcoholbob

Diamond Member
May 24, 2005
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about paying 1000 dollars for a 280x equivalent. sure

The biggest thing they would bring is 14 nm but that comes for GPUs just a year after Intel went there with CPUs.

More like $1000 for a 14nm Fury X. Sure Intel will sandbag on maximum performance but they will always be 1-2 nodes ahead of Nvidia. Which means they will charge $1000 for a 980Ti competitor that has double or more perf/watt and about 15% more performance and a die size that's half or less than Nvidia's. Which means Nvidia would instantly be in the position AMD is in relation to Intel with CPUs.
 

3DVagabond

Lifer
Aug 10, 2009
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Nvidia cannot afford to take on AMD's debt. They don't make a large enough net income.

EDIT: The only player I'd see with any significant long-term interest would be Apple. Cook can hand over a check to cover the entire cost, then write another check identical to that one and wipe his a$$ with it. Apple would have interest in having x86 IP, and would certainly love to have their own in-house graphics design team with it's own string of IP to go with it.

and then we'd have two locked in proprietary companies pimping us. No thanks. I'd prefer AMD manage to make a success of their strategy.