Microsoft in talks to buy AMD

[btarunr]

The only reason why AMD hasn't been sold off already, is because the x86 license by Intel to AMD is non-transferable. If AMD gets acquired by or merged with any other company, the license is terminated. Intel did this because it wants AMD to hold x86, but doesn't want it awash with too much R&D money to make chips that are better than Intel. Otherwise just imagine an x86 licence in the hands or a wealthy company like Samsung, Microsoft, or even NVIDIA. Intel will be toast.

 

[2wicked]

Microsoft is the only one that is keeping x86 relevant, if for any reason they drop support it is open season on amd and intel is screwed.

 

[btarunr]

Microsoft is the only one that is keeping x86 relevant, if for any reason they drop support it is open season on amd and intel is screwed.

Yes, and it's the only company in a position to ask Intel to be flexible with its x86 license to AMD, if it decides to acquire it.

 

[R-T-B]

Yes, and it's the only company in a position to ask Intel to be flexible with its x86 license to AMD, if it decides to acquire it.

That's an excellent point.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Otherwise just imagine an x86 licence in the hands or a wealthy company like Samsung, Microsoft, or even NVIDIA. Intel will be toast.

I have my doubts because that would mean that Intel's processors are sub-standard. They are thee standard. Throwing $90 billion dollars at any company to try to make a better product than Intel isn't likely to beat Intel without some trade off (e.g. higher TDP). The worst case scenario for Intel would be Intel having to push sexa-cores and more down to the consumer market instead of strictly HEDT. Intel wouldn't particularly want to do that because it would hurt their margins but Intel being the only x86 provider will likely hurt them just as much or more because that would provide a reason for Microsoft to make a desktop push for ARM. If you can buy desktop all-in-ones running Windows 10 for $200-300, suddenly Intel would loose a lot of business.

I'm just guessing here but maybe Intel had something to do with Windows 8.1 RT being abandoned. That decision could have been made simply because Microsoft committed to the survival of AMD. Why would Microsoft keep developing Windows 10 for ARM when they could just buy AMD and keep x86 going strong?

 

[micropage7]

the sharks can smell the blood in the water
AMD is a sinking ship ...

yeah AMD should take a look at BlackBerry now after struggle with their sales, it start to move into software (BBM) now they get some better profit, AMD looks like stuck in that position while its competitor looks forward

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Plus
Better for gaming in general than Samsung owning them

Minus
MS is already getting very console-centric. This could simultaneously cause MS to be even more so, and further divide AMD and Nvidia if one designs chips for one console, and the other for the other.

PC could suffer even more from this than it already is, getting even crappier ports as Sony and MS compete for and care only about the console market.

I don't know, I got a bad feeling about this.

 

[RejZoR]

Yeah, me too. While it feels positive in a way, there is this weird gloom floating over all of it. If I'm honest, I'd prefer AMD staying the way it is and getting their shit together, becoming very competitive with Intel and NVIDIA again...

 

[btarunr]

That's an excellent point.

On the other hand, Intel could ask Microsoft "sure, we'll let you keep it, but you'll never make high-end CPUs with it."

 

[Kaynar]

(imagine) AMD owned by MS and nVidia owned by Apple.

 

[btarunr]

(imagine) AMD owned by MS and nVidia owned by Apple.

Jenshun will tell Apple what he told Hector Ruiz some 11 years ago: "make me the CEO of the resulting company, or GTFO."

 

[mastrdrver]

I bet the Pentagon has contingency plans for exactly that scenario.

That's exactly my point. All these "x company is in talks to buy AMD" "leaks" that have been happening recently are nothing more then worse case contingency plans should Zen be an absolute flop (or something along those lines).

 

[Ferrum Master]

Rumors M$ buying AMD lol

And the biggest inspiration to this... someone found in the attic this

 

[Frick]

If true...I don't think this is good for anyone. Microsoft has shown their propensity for being anti-PC gaming, despite multiple protestations to the contrary. They also would rather everyone were on tablets and phones...I can see desktop CPU's and APU's being eliminated slowly but surely, other than what they would produce for consoles. This would be disastrous for everyone, because it would leave Intel without any effective competition in the desktop cpu market. Too much doom and gloom? No, I'm completely calm and reserved. In fact, I may even be giving MS too much credit, and it would likely end up even worse.

As to GPU's, who knows if that production would continue...I can't guess.

MS today is a wholly different beast than from just a few years ago, and most of the stuff they do is actually really nice (imagine Ballmer giving Win10 away for free). The PC gaming perspective is an extremely narrow one.

Me I like both companies and would actually be excited about it if true. EDIT: If they get to keep the x86 license of course.

 

[SonicZap]

If I'm honest I hope AMD will pick up their shit and start making profit and revive their former glory. AMD and ATi were both amazing underdogs an it would suck to see them both gone...

AMD's underdog image is a huge issue for them. A lot of people even here in TPU aren't interested in buying AMD's products, instead they just want AMD to release good products that force Nvidia to lower prices so that they can buy Nvidia products for cheaper. I think they built that image with the HD 4000 series (where they stopped competing with Nvidia's high-end for a while), but now it's very difficult to get out of it.

Intel already is practically a monopoly, but if AMD stopped making consumer graphics cards I'm sure Nvidia's profit margins would get even more fat.

 

[Aquinus]

The only reason why AMD hasn't been sold off already, is because the x86 license by Intel to AMD is non-transferable. If AMD gets acquired by or merged with any other company, the license is terminated. Intel did this because it wants AMD to hold x86, but doesn't want it awash with too much R&D money to make chips that are better than Intel. Otherwise just imagine an x86 licence in the hands or a wealthy company like Samsung, Microsoft, or even NVIDIA. Intel will be toast.

Would AMD still hold on to that license is if they were acquired strictly as a subsidiary and not merged with another company?

 

[BiggieShady]

Would AMD still hold on to that license if they were acquired strictly as a subsidiary and not merged with another company?

Great question that interests me as well, we need a lawyer with knowledge of big company mergers here

 

[btarunr]

Would AMD still hold on to that license is they were acquired strictly as a subsidiary and not merged with another company?

I think the license forbids that. VIA was an x86 holder, and several companies must have approached it just for the license. Finally, the company stopped making x86 in 2011 (probably because its license got scrapped, and was finally acquired by some Taiwanese PCB maker.

There were many x86 licensees. They either went bankrupt or gave up their licenses to stay alive.

You can be acquired by another x86 licensee, though. VIA acquired Centaur and Cyrix.

 

[xenocide]

I imagine if anyone bought AMD, Intel would renegotiate the x86 License because if there's one thing they fear more than a decent competitor it's Anti-Trust Litigation. According to this article from 2012, AMD believe Intel wouldn't really bother to fight them if AMD were to merge or be acquired by another company, and I'm compelled to agree with them,

 

[Naito]

Rumors M$ buying AMD lol

View attachment 66147

And the biggest inspiration to this... someone found in the attic this


View attachment 66148

Someone is probably just playing the stock market by throwing semi-believable tripe out there.

 

[Aquinus]

Someone is probably just playing the stock market by throwing semi-believable tripe out there.

High speed trading already takes care of that...
All they need to do is make it look like there is a lot of activity on a particular company in the right way and you can influence prices. It's really pretty despicable.

 

[Frick]

OTOH it works the other way round, Intel loses their AMD IP if AMD changes owner.

 

[btarunr]

Rumors M$ buying AMD lol

View attachment 66147

And the biggest inspiration to this... someone found in the attic this


View attachment 66148

Non-Intel x86 companies used to print Windows logos to tell buyers that their chips could run Windows, too. Back then anti-trust laws/precedents weren't so strong, and competitors faced an impossible task breaking into the Wintel (Windows+Intel) mould.

Here's an IDT-Centaurhauls WinChip C6.

 

[RejZoR]

I think the license forbids that. VIA was an x86 holder, and several companies must have approached it just for the license. Finally, the company stopped making x86 in 2011 (probably because its license got scrapped, and was finally acquired by some Taiwanese PCB maker.

There were many x86 licensees. They either went bankrupt or gave up their licenses to stay alive.

You can be acquired by another x86 licensee, though. VIA acquired Centaur and Cyrix.

Well that's idiotic. Then they are held hostage by themselves because they have the x86 license... Even if the merger is the only way to continue operating, they can't, because they'd kill their primary product line. Ugh!?

 

[Frick]

Well that's idiotic. Then they are held hostage by themselves because they have the x86 license... Even if the merger is the only way to continue operating, they can't, because they'd kill their primary product line. Ugh!?

That's how Intel likes it.

So how much AMD stuff is in modern Intel CPU's anyway?