Originally posted by: Idontcare
Originally posted by: Extelleron
Thing with Bulldozer is it is not coming anytime soon. From what we are hearing at this point, Bulldozer looks like 2010 for actual availability. Note that AMD has stated they will be sampling Bulldozer on 45nm in 2009, but sampling is quite different from releasing to the public.
I'm pretty sure that Bulldozer will be competitive with Nehalem, but the problem is it will face 32nm Westmere, which should improve performance slightly and improve performance-per-watt and allow for higher clocks.
Now if AMD can get to 32nm in early 2010 and release Bulldozer @ 32nm, then they may be able to compete performance wise. That's what I think might happen, even though it violates AMD's Pipe strategy; AMD will release "K10.5" 45nm products in 2008 & 2009, with up to 8-core & 1MB L2 cache per core, sample Bulldozer on 45nm, then actually produce Bulldozer @ 32nm in 2010. That's assuming AMD can hit 32nm in early-mid 2010, which given AMD's track record is quite an assumption of course.
Somebody's been reading TheINQ
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/...d-roadmap-restores-bit
I find your synopsis a far better approach to rationalizing the possible future though, Charlie is still in rant mode. Somebody sh!t in his wheaties again.
Bulldozer being pushed out to 32nm is bad news for AMD in the short-term, but if it is planned this far in advance then it doesn't have to mean bad news for AMD in the long run.
The 10% layoffs is part of that, getting lean to survive the next 2 years of lean times. If AMD pares itself down so it can avoid bankruptcy while dealing with the financial realities of sub-10% marketshare then they can still do alright and make a "comeback"...but that kinda requires Intel to do another Netburst on themselves in the meantime too.
Its bleak, I can't imagine what the morale is like in the fabs.