"I just confirmed that Raja Koduri will in fact be going to work at Intel." - Ryan Shrout. Twitter

[sirmo]

AMD is worth a lot more as CPU and GPU parts, than a standalone company at $11b current market cap. Intel spent $16b on Altera and $15b on MobilEye, trying to catch up up to GPUs. RTG with actual GPUs is worth at least $10b to them. CPU team is probably worth ay least $10b standalone, given duopoly pricing power and increased competitiveness.

Altera is absolutely worth $15B.. but they also bought McAfee for $7.6B.. *facepalm*

 

[CHADBOGA]

Intel has zero marketshare for good GPUs and the worst possible reputation among gamers. The only reason Intel has the share they do in GPUs is obviously because they force people to buy them.

I would have thought the more logical reason is that people are happy enough with their GPU's and don't feel the need to upgrade to a discrete video card.

 

[senseamp]

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/asic-&-fpga-design-engineer-at-facebook-465790001

Facebook is seeking a silicon design engineer to join our Infrastructure team. We are looking for candidates with expertise in architecting and designing semi-custom and fully custom ASICs. The role involves evaluating, developing and driving next generation technologies within Facebook. The candidate would need to work with software and system engineers to understand limitations of current hardware and use their expertise to build custom solutions targeted at multiple verticals including AI/ML, compression, and video encoding.

Looks like Facebook is building an AI ASIC. Wouldn't be surprised if they pillage AMD for GPU hw talent.

 

[traderjay]

 

[LightningZ71]

I would have thought the more logical reason is that people are happy enough with their GPU's and don't feel the need to upgrade to a discrete video card.

In mobiles, upgrading the GPU is rarely an option.

 

[Ranulf]

What?

Seriously, people need to leave the legal analysis to actual lawyers. It is hilarious to me whenever we get threads with pretend legal experts.

At any rate, non-compete clauses are rarely enforceable even in states that allow them. And, even when enforceable, it is almost always to much lesser degree than actually worded in the clause.

Heh, so you are a legal expert? Life is usually far better without lawyers messing things up. If the government can force you to do a job you don't want to do, why not a private entity with a contract that was not coerced? You don't have to sign that contract but a judge can force you to do a job you don't want to do due to "imputed income" because supposedly you're "under employed". Sorry you missed the point. I'm not a fan of non compete either but I don't get too worked up over it because so many people seem to have no problem with letting the government force you to work or face jail.

 

[mxnerd]

A story about Raja Koduri back in May 2016, wow.

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2016/05/27/from_ati_to_amd_back_journey_in_futility

 

[AnandThenMan]

I remember that well it has much more truth than most everyone at the time including myself realized. It might actually pan out that RTG goes to Intel, then Nvidia will probably buy AMD. Not out of the realm of possibility, not sure how I feel about this.

 

[beginner99]

A story about Raja Koduri back in May 2016, wow.

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2016/05/27/from_ati_to_amd_back_journey_in_futility

holy shit. And given how this all went down, the article seems 100% spot-on.

It's also a lesson to learn: You never get yourself blackmailed:

Let’s start with the tension. Koduri was able to wrestle control of the graphics division away during AMD’s last leadership transition after threatening to leave the ship and take a role at Intel, something he's not shy about telling his AMD colleagues. Lisa Su caved and Koduri got the job.

Only way you should react to that is to say. "Ok then do it". In 99% out of 100% times they will pull in their tail and you now own them.

 

[beginner99]

I remember that well it has much more truth than most everyone at the time including myself realized. It might actually pan out that RTG goes to Intel, then Nvidia will probably buy AMD. Not out of the realm of possibility, not sure how I feel about this.

I don't think that will happen. What I do think that him being gone regardless of his talent is a good thing. Now they can focus on products and not political trench-fighting.

 

[William Gaatjes]

Intel has zero marketshare for good GPUs and the worst possible reputation among gamers. The only reason Intel has the share they do in GPUs is obviously because they force people to buy them.

As most pc gamers, you forget to look at it from a different perspective.
Office appliances have zero need for a gaming gpu.
Think administration and anything else that does not need serious 3d acceleration.
Also, Intel provides a complete solution system integrators like for example Dell and HP enjoy.
As a company buys several pc systems at once from for example Dell, they want support and a reliable device. Not an overclocked gaming device.
AMD is trying to get a foot hold for a long time and i hope they will now with zen.
A low power APU SOC would be great to compete for office appliances.

When gpgpu computation power is needed, cuda nvidia cards are separately available and to some extent amd opencl cards(Only because cuda has a larger adoption rate).

Of course, Dell also has some gaming pc systems but it is not their primary market.

 

[moinmoin]

A story about Raja Koduri back in May 2016, wow.

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2016/05/27/from_ati_to_amd_back_journey_in_futility

If there's any ounce of truth to this it's a surprise Koduri wasn't let go earlier.

 

[Olikan]

If there's any ounce of truth to this it's a surprise Koduri wasn't let go earlier.

AMD was bleeding money, while RTG had problems meeting demand.

If ryzen turned another failure, it's would be easy to convince the board of diretors to "save" RTG from AMD.

Raja and Lisa competed, Vega lost, Ryzen won

 

[moinmoin]

AMD was bleeding money, while RTG had problems meeting demand.

If ryzen turned another failure, it's would be easy to convince the board of diretors to "save" RTG from AMD.

Raja and Lisa competed, Vega lost, Ryzen won

Well, good thing then that following that narrative Su saved AMD. Still would consider the narrative itself to be hogwash.

 

[PeterScott]

A story about Raja Koduri back in May 2016, wow.

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2016/05/27/from_ati_to_amd_back_journey_in_futility

IMO, that is total nonsense. AMD is dead without GPUs. Most of the CPU market involves integrated GPUs. Selling the GPU business would doom the CPU business, not save it.

It is also total nonsense that Intel would fire most of it's GPU engineers, getting ready to purchase something that would never be for sale.

What I could see is Raja fighting for more funding and independence for the GPU business to get it back on track, when he failed to deliver after getting it, he was out.

 

[Dribble]

What I could see is Raja fighting for more funding and independence for the GPU business to get it back on track, when he failed to deliver after getting it, he was out.

That's my take on it - he just wanted to make good gpu's and was hampered by the fact that AMD has no money. Hence he goes to Intel where he feels he can get the resources to do a really good job. Obviously it takes more then money and one guy, so I expect a lot of the top gpu talent at AMD will be getting very good offers from Intel in the near future.

 

[Atari2600]

That's my take on it - he just wanted to make good gpu's and was hampered by the fact that AMD has no money.

I think he was hampered more by his own decisions.

Before Apollo came Gemini and Mercury. They had to go in that (reverse) order. Raja didn't have the groundwork for Vega laid down, therefore should not have attempted the design.

A (very) good engineer can see a very productive endpoint. A great engineer can see that endpoint and have the vision to outlay the intermediate steps that can be taken to get there.

 

[coercitiv]

That's my take on it - he just wanted to make good gpu's and was hampered by the fact that AMD has no money. Hence he goes to Intel where he feels he can get the resources to do a really good job. Obviously it takes more then money and one guy, so I expect a lot of the top gpu talent at AMD will be getting very good offers from Intel in the near future.

Just to entertain this idea, it would take Intel years of R&D to reach where AMD is today, so this hypothetical move of Raja to start working on the same type of product all over again just reset the clock by a couple of years while AMD finally has the oxygen to help RTG R&D breathe again. They would be chasing a moving target, it makes sense for Intel but not for Raja & other AMD engineers.

 

[Elixer]

Just to entertain this idea, it would take Intel years of R&D to reach where AMD is today, so this hypothetical move of Raja to start working on the same type of product all over again just reset the clock by a couple of years while AMD finally has the oxygen to help RTG R&D breathe again. They would be chasing a moving target, it makes sense for Intel but not for Raja & other AMD engineers.

They got Raja to jump start the R&D, so, it goes from multiple years to months, depending on what they are trying to do.
I am thinking they are more inclined to go after instinct & the volta datacenter products first, and not so much for consumers, though, they can do this later.

Intel has a solid 1014nm process, and tons of experience using that.
I expect intel to license AMD tech as well at some point.

 

[maddie]

They got Raja to jump start the R&D, so, it goes from multiple years to months, depending on what they are trying to do.
I am thinking they are more inclined to go after instinct & the volta datacenter products first, and not so much for consumers, though, they can do this later.

Intel has a solid 10nm process, and tons of experience using that.
I expect intel to license AMD tech as well at some point.

Have I been in a coma for some time?

 

[Elixer]

Have I been in a coma for some time?

Whoops, meant 14nm. However, they should have a good 10nm process as well.

 

[Dayman1225]

Whoops, meant 14nm. However, they should have a good 10nm process as well.

When they deliver it, sure.

 

[DrMrLordX]

However, they should have a good 10nm process as well.

They should, but . . .