This deal also allows AMD to produce all of its processors in third-party fabs, freeing it from the restriction of having to be GlobalFoundries' parent company.
The cash payout is almost (~$1.5B vs $1.25B) equal to the AMD's in-hand cash. Taxes will lower that though.
That was always a sticking point in the spin off of Global Foundries. If the Intel license only allowed AMD to fab a small percentage of CPUs outside of the company, then what happened when AMD spun off it's fabs into a separate company and effectively all fabrication happened outside of AMD?
Most likely Intel was using this as a breach of the cross-licensing agreement in countersuit, and now that has been removed.
It wasn't a breach yet, as AMD still had (just) enough ownership and control of GlobalFoundries to be within the definition of subsidiary in the cross license agreement. But it would have been a big problem with the coming inclusion of Chartered in GF, which will leave AMD with a quite small share.
How much dept is left for AMD now? would it make sense for them to go real fabless?
ahMeanwhile, AMD, which is struggling to whittle $3.7 billion in debt and pull off a major restructuring, could have found the trial prohibitively expensive.
It wasn't a breach yet, as AMD still had (just) enough ownership and control of GlobalFoundries to be within the definition of subsidiary in the cross license agreement. But it would have been a big problem with the coming inclusion of Chartered in GF, which will leave AMD with a quite small share.
How much dept is left for AMD now? would it make sense for them to go real fabless?
they are going to sell every last bit they have in GF and move on...Well they could always have split GlobalFoundries into several companies to comply with the old agreement, but it wasn't a major problem since the previous agreement was due to expire in 2011 so the agreement had to be renegotiated anyway.
Globalfoundries is organized as joint venture company (AMD owns 1 voting share and ATIC owns another) so AMD isn't going to relinquish control over GF anytime soon.
Later, speaking exclusively to HEXUS, Meyer spoke of his excitement for 2010 and 2011, which he agreed was a "magic year" for the firm. "That's where it really all kicks off," he told us, adding "we've got good stuff."
Good news for AMD, some cash, the ability to go fabless and the licence agreement.
Intel can come up with $1.25b in 30 days, I bet AMD wish they could do that !
Nvidia might be worried, Intel gets patents on the Ati side as part of the deal according to xbitlabs.
....it's like giving the license to print money, instead just slipping a full briefcase of it.
The x86 license and GF settlement is more important here, than the single strike of cold cash flow in -- it's like giving the license to print money, instead just slipping a full briefcase of it.