AMD Presentation Questions

jrphoenix

Golden Member
Feb 29, 2004
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I am not sure how many of you have seen the AMD slide show for their investors: Slide Show

On this slide: Slide 13 AMD says they started volume production of the Ahtlon 64, 90nm in Q2 of 2003!

On this slide: Slide 11 AMD says their 90 nm process is running at mature yields, revenue shipments will be in Q3 2004, and they are using low k as well as SOI.

Questions:

1. Have they been stocking up on their 90 nm parts since 2003?
2. Is a revenue shipment the first shipment they sell the retailers or OEMs?
3. If they are using low k (I wasn't aware if they currently are).... wasn't this process what enabled ATI to reach such high clock speeds on their VPU's? Do you expect much higher clock speeds with this process?
4. Should we expect to see these chips in September?

I know this is just speculation until it happens but... I was curious about your thoughts? :)
 

Matthias99

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2003
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Originally posted by: jrphoenix
I am not sure how many of you have seen the AMD slide show for their investors: Slide Show

On this slide: Slide 13 AMD says they started volume production of the Ahtlon 64, 90nm in Q2 of 2003!

On this slide: Slide 11 AMD says their 90 nm process is running at mature yields, revenue shipments will be in Q3 2004, and they are using low k as well as SOI.

Questions:

1. Have they been stocking up on their 90 nm parts since 2003?

Probably not. By "volume production" they mean producing the parts in a fab (as opposed to in a small-scale laboratory setting). It doesn't mean that their yields were very good, the speeds were very good, or that they started producing large numbers of them.

2. Is a revenue shipment the first shipment they sell the retailers or OEMs?

I would assume so -- it's a shipment that they're actually selling for revenue (as opposed to ones going out for testing, etc.). But you might not see them in any sort of volume until Q4, or even Q1 2005.

3. If they are using low k (I wasn't aware if they currently are).... wasn't this process what enabled ATI to reach such high clock speeds on their VPU's? Do you expect much higher clock speeds with this process?

Hopefully it will address some of the power problems that everyone using 90nm seems to be having. We'll have to wait and see, though; they're really breaking new ground (nobody's produced anything this big at 90nm with SOI and low-k), and it's very hard to predict what its effects will be at 90nm.

4. Should we expect to see these chips in September?

Don't hold your breath. :p
 

tart666

Golden Member
May 18, 2002
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as already noted, just couple comments:




  • it takes about 3mo (or more) between wafer starts and packaged chips

    beginning of volume production translates into "shipments" only when yields are high. In A64 case, the yields are only high now, allowing them to ship chips and actually make profit. If they are saying yields are mature, the shipments will start ASAP

    low-k mostly has to do with reducing capacitative coupling in the back-end, mitigating the cross-talk issues between the wiring. AFAIK, it has little effect on thermal output, thermal parameters are mostly related to front-end issues