The AMD Execution Thread [2007 - 2017]

[pharma]

Regardless, AMD is officially refuting the claim:

Which I don't think surprises anyone ... especially on the eve of a major product launch.

 

[Rys]

So you're saying you don't believe them? They have a legal obligation to tell the truth, since it materially affects their and their investor's value.

 

[pharma]

AMD might Sell ATI and split-up as separate companies

It is not the first time we heard about this, last year was investigation this too, this time around it sounds a little more serious, as it was reported by Reuters. AMD looking at options to improve its business model, and currently is investigating if their GPU graphics segment should be split off and sold, away from the company.

AMD has asked a consulting firm to help it review its options and draw up scenarios on how a break-up or spin-off would work, the people said this week, asking not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential.

AMD had explored such a move in the past and decided against it, the people said. Su, however, who took over as CEO last October, judged that there is merit for the company to at least consider such a possibility again, the people added. There is no certainty that a split or spin-off will occur, the people cautioned.

A spokeswoman for AMD declined to comment.

http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/amd-might-sell-ati-and-split-up-as-separate-companies.html

 

[pharma]

AMD Project Quantum powered by Intel

So props to AMD for having the balls to make this choice. BTW I also know there will be an AMD version available, so the choice is yours.

Project Quantum isn't powered by an AMD CPU, but as it now seems, an Intel Devil's Canyon Core i7-4790K. Project Quantum was shown to be running an Intel Core i7-4790K "Devil's Canyon" CPU based on an ASRock mini-ITX motherboard. The i7-4790K was the processor used and the memory was half-height Crucial Ballistix. The SSD used AMD-branded (ODM is OCZ) and then comes with unified liquid cooling solution custom-tailored for AMD, by Asetek.

http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/amd-project-quantum-powered-by-intel.html

 

[Deleted member 13524]

AMD might Sell ATI and split-up as separate companies

That's just a rehash of the Reuters newspiece, which has since been debunked.

AMD Project Quantum powered by Intel

Of course it is. It's a top-end PC and AMD has no top-end or top-performing CPUs.
The stupid thing to get in there would be a FX cpu together with a 5 year-old motherboard chipset that only supports PCIe 2.0, or a dual-module APU.

 

[Grall]

Selling off ATI would be a really bad idea in this APU day and age. Being reliant on a third-party vendor for integrated graphics would mean much less chance for tight integration and interaction benefits. If anything, AMD should sell off their CPU bits instead and keep on as a graphics solutions vendor... At least on that front they have some cutting edge stuff, whereas their x86 solutions have historically been lacking for all but a brief few years when Intel were fucking up on their own volition.

 

[spworley]

Many of AMD's corporate options are constrained by their debt. If there was a good company split, the debtors would have a large influence on whether they allowed it or not since they wouldn't want to have their debt attached to a less promising company. An outright sale of assets or division to some other company might be condoned by the debtors.. but then they'd quite reasonably demand to be paid with the proceeds of that sale leaving AMD with no benefit. So all splits and sales of AMD itself are likely poor business options.

I imagine AMD will keep its path as it is, hoping Zen and its APU strategy produce a reliable income stream. In the worst, but likely, case over the next few years, they can internally slow capital spending, reduce and even halt new product development, and hire more and more lawyers. They can then grow primary revenue from "Technology Licensing", meaning patent troll attacks on everyone else, slowly transforming into a company more like Rambus where R&D is aimed at patent license revenue.
Rambus's market cap is about the same as AMD's now.

 

[Alexko]

Charlie says that something is going on, that it's in the very early stages, and not what Reuters is reporting: http://semiaccurate.com/2015/06/23/really-behind-amd-split-rumors/

I'm sure he says more behind the paywall, but I don't know what.

 

[3dilettante]

Selling off ATI would be a really bad idea in this APU day and age. Being reliant on a third-party vendor for integrated graphics would mean much less chance for tight integration and interaction benefits. If anything, AMD should sell off their CPU bits instead and keep on as a graphics solutions vendor... At least on that front they have some cutting edge stuff, whereas their x86 solutions have historically been lacking for all but a brief few years when Intel were fucking up on their own volition.

Having the option to include CPU IP looks like a selling point going forward, even if it's a marginal IP.
AMD has optimized itself into what appears to be a local minimum where a change from the undesirable present leads to even worse outcomes as far as a GPU/CPU split goes.
AMD has given up resources and IP for high-speed IO, which multisocket servers or HPC would need.
AMD has contributed very little to x86 for years, and its originating x86-64 work looks to have an expiration date around the end of this decade.
The weaker processes for digital logic tends to hurt CPUs more.
The HBM and interposer work is something that favors GPU products, at least for now. This has hurt its capacity capabilities in notable GPU markets and doesn't register as an option for a CPU group.

Could they split it along the lines of a graphics and semicustom group with the ARM IP, and a "legacy" x86/APU division for some long tail of existing semicustom wins and the remaining x86 products in the pipeline?
AMD's efforts towards dis-integrating silicon and an HSA or new interconnect might let the other company purchase an x86 chip to go on an interposer if it proved desirable.

For laughs, if such a move doesn't already break the cross-licensing agreement, the two could cross-license IP, then when the legacy work dries up the x86 spin-off can go private, breach agreement, and troll away.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

I imagine AMD will keep its path as it is, hoping Zen and its APU strategy produce a reliable income stream.

The problem is that Zen having no GPU makes it useless for laptops and for games it contradicts AMD's own claims of having an iGPU being better for DX12 multi-adapter.
During 2016, AMD will have to do with desktop/notebook Carrizo, and it'll have to face Skylake which will be here within a month.

I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that they'll be bringing their much-needed new architecture in a chip without an integrated GPU, coming to a plarform (AM4) that natively supports APUs.
And if time is the main reason for not being able to integrate, then they have another big problem in their hands.
ARM SoC designers have been coming up with CPU+GPU integrated solutions within months of a new ARM core release. If Zen doesn't make that job easy(er), then something's definitely not right with the CPU.

 

[Alexko]

During 2016, AMD will have to do with desktop/notebook Carrizo, and it'll have to face Skylake which will be here within a month.

They'll have to do with Excavator, or perhaps Excavator 2.0, but I sure hope they'll have something newer than Carrizo.

 

[3dilettante]

It could be another example of AMD's ti-ck model: Carrizo now, Richl-izo/Carriz-avari later.

 

[Alexko]

It could be another example of AMD's ti-ck model: Carrizo now, Richl-izo/Carriz-avari later.

I don't think this is a model so much as the plan B for when things go wrong (e.g., a chip is delayed, or a process is no good for desktop). Granted, things often go wrong with AMD, and the mess created by the drastic change in CPU architecture might be qualified as "things going wrong".

 

[UniversalTruth]

The truth is that AMD gives you more than the competition for less money:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EVGA/GTX_980_Ti_SC_Plus/30.html

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EVGA/GTX_980_Ti_SC_Plus/1.html

 

[pharma]

I think their formula is missing the "driver support" variable.

 

[silent_guy]

The truth is that AMD gives you more than the competition for less money:

That's a surprisingly relevant comment in a thread that focuses on the doom and gloom of AMD! Especially considering that it costs AMD more to achieve that performance due to worse perf/mm2 and perf/W.

 

[UniversalTruth]

it costs AMD more to achieve that performance

It's perfectly fine with me. This emphasizes even further AMD's nobleness to customers.

Are you an anti-AMD_guy?

 

[Newguy]

Are you an anti-AMD_guy?

How does pointing out those things make someone anti-something?

 

[bdmosky]

It's perfectly fine with me. This emphasizes even further AMD's nobleness to customers.

Yes, clearly AMD prices their products with nobleness in mind.

 

[UniversalTruth]

Yes, clearly AMD prices their products with nobleness in mind.

The act itself. You can never say what they have in their minds.

I think their formula is missing the "driver support" variable.

For this money, you should be thankful what you receive.

I have never experienced troubles with AMD Catalyst.

People lack appreciation.