Tuesday, June 4th 2019
AMD Halts Further x86 Technology Licensing to China
AMD Lisa Su at Computex 2019 confirmed to Tom's hardware that the company wasn't licensing anymore of its x86 IP portfolio to China-based companies. AMD entered a technology license agreement with China's Tianjin Haiguang Advanced Technology Investment Co. Ltd. (THATIC) in 2016. As part of the agreement to license its x86 and SoC IP for chip development, AMD received a cash infusion worth $293 million (plus royalties).
As a result, Chinese chipmaker Hygon started delivering their "Dhyana" CPUs, which looked like copies of AMD's Zen-based Epyc chips with added, Chinese-government approved cryptographic capabilities. AMD had to go through some hoops to get this deal done, but it did. However, now the technology refinement pipe is draining for the Chinese companies, as AMD won't be delivering its post-Zen updates to the core design. It remains to be seen if AMD's intellectual property was enough for Chinese companies to ignite their own in-country CPU development, or if the ongoing US-China trade war will keep on draining the company of CPU independence.
Source:
Tom's Hardware
As a result, Chinese chipmaker Hygon started delivering their "Dhyana" CPUs, which looked like copies of AMD's Zen-based Epyc chips with added, Chinese-government approved cryptographic capabilities. AMD had to go through some hoops to get this deal done, but it did. However, now the technology refinement pipe is draining for the Chinese companies, as AMD won't be delivering its post-Zen updates to the core design. It remains to be seen if AMD's intellectual property was enough for Chinese companies to ignite their own in-country CPU development, or if the ongoing US-China trade war will keep on draining the company of CPU independence.
76 Comments on AMD Halts Further x86 Technology Licensing to China
1) they were based on "we gonna be soooo much faster" by, you know, that Elbrus folks
2) nobody objected to the articles (also because it was a way to get government funding)
Here you go:
Russian:
www.ixbt.com/cpu/e2k-spec.html
Even more wonderful Russian:
4pda.ru/2017/07/14/345178/
German:
www.heise.de/ct/artikel/Prozessorgefluester-286868.html
Oh, and note how Intel stole Russian known-how, to make it's Penitum. But behold, they are gonna kick Intel's ass, beating not only Pentium, but Itanium too!
Yes, the guy who also designed the E2K architecture ended up working for Intel later on.
After all the BS ("we'll do logarithmic calcs 1000 times faster than Itanium! Complex polynoms 3 times faster!!!") when nothing but nationalist nonsense came out, narrative has shifted from "we'll wipe the floor with Intel" and Babayan, to some dude from the team that managed to get hired by Intel, and has become "father of Penitum", almost. Because, again, Intel, company at least decade ahead of whatever crap USSR had at that point, absolutely needed "soviet technologies" to do crap.
Because Russia is so important, you know.
And if you think brother Wright invented aeroplanes, you are wrong. It was Mozhaiski.
It wasn't Marconi who invented Radio, it was Popov (Marconi stole it, apparently)
Steam engine, of course, was also invented by some Russian, then stolen.
Again, because Russia is so important and Russians are so great, you know.
For anyone who is interested in learning more on Elbrus or just want to keep tabs, this is a good link:
sdelanounas.ru/blogs/?search=%D0%AD%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B1%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81
Google or Yandex translate works well enough
Best way to solve all issues mentioned in this thread is if Wizard could get his hands on such processors from China, Russia and elsewhere and test them all, then we can debate. I trust his opinion most regarding hardware tests.
we have this issue in AUS, our car factory's close ( Ford GMH Toyota Mitsubishi ) because of this
Apparently "because Germany is not Russia" and hence must hate Russians or something.
Oh, but we also have Russian sources stating the same. How inconvenient...In particular that magical chip that made Intel CEO cry (in fear), but, never seen the light.
I'm afraid it's technically impossible to have experience with something that never existed.
I think China is a wonderful country , and the people are too . There food is Awesome , they invented Gunpowder , and so on...
yet i dont trust Communism and what it brings to society So now they have many Technology from Western country Eg: AMD CPU , 5G tech they must advance and create without copying or using Espionage i feel in my opinion . Just my 2 cents
If so, don't. That's not how things work.
I mean that's just the rules of forum life man. Deal with it.
OK, now that has been resolved, I can get back to admiring G&S shoes. Did you know, leather soles grip slippery floors better than rubber compounds? I'm thinking of getting a reverse dovetail heel installed, these vibrams are a safety hazard.
www.techpowerup.com/230702/amd-ryzen-die-shot-and-new-architecture-details-revealed-at-isscc
Oh, and AMD liked me enough to rush-order me a replacement chip for the Ryzen Performance Marginality, which I reported on here as well.
www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/my-research-into-amds-linux-performance-marginality-issue.237195/
How about stop playing sides for a second and realize someone can like both AMD and Intel? Jesus.
PS: I was aware of the ASLR issue myself at the time. Didn't get involved with histrionics, though. I keep a low profile. Also with the TLB bug that enumerated unencrypted memory addresses.
Its a weak attempt to save face after making a rather uninformed comment.
lastly, reading comprehension, Im not going to retype it, just read it again and actually try to understand what was said.
This is purely objective, this is not about loving or hating China, this is just facts.
Stop the bickering back and forth... take it to PMs.
Stay on topic.
Thank You.
Have a civil conversation on topic.
One - - - - - - - box for another?
Unless licensing resumes, I have a suspicion it will take 5+ years for China to even reach Zen+ level in design, nevermind Zen 2.
AMD agreeing to the licensing deal in the first place is kind of baffling. AMD must know something the general public doesn't. My guess is that the Chinese government is relying on homebrewed processors that suck and the licensing deal was the only way to get any kind of revenue stream from upgrading them.