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The real meat of the story: > The new Exynos chip for laptops will use the graphics processing unit (GPU) jointly developed with US semiconductor company Advan

by cbg0 5y ago

The real meat of the story: > The new Exynos chip for laptops will use the graphics processing unit (GPU) jointly developed with US semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) to offer improved graphical technology, according to the sources.

ksec 5y ago
That was my thought when I read it as well, and I have to scroll all the way down to find this comment. AMD said part of the reason why they partner with Samsung was because they dont compete in Mobile Phone. Which is a valid point. But now Samsung is competing directly in Laptop and PC using these tech. As a tech enthusiast of course I want to see this ARM / AMD Graphics combination. But as an investor I am thinking If we were mislead in a way. And if this true does it mean AMD is open to license AMD graphics IP?
- mrweasel 5y ago
  It could be a good market for AMD. There a tons of companies designing their own ARM processors, but who don't have the resources to also create a GPU. Nvidia is completely absent from that market, at least currently, so it might be a easy way for AMD to push their GPU design.
  - ksec 5y ago
    From a business POV yes. I just dont like companies that lie. Of course at the moment this is still a rumour.
- slezyr 5y ago
  > And if this true does it mean AMD is open to license AMD graphics IP? This is not the first time this happens. There was an Intel CPU with AMD's GPU. https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/130411/intel-core-i7-8705g-processor-with-radeon-rx-vega-m-gl-graphics-8m-cache-up-to-4-10-ghz.html https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/130411/...
  - ksec 5y ago
    AMD didn't license their IP to Intel. It was a collaboration with AMD GPU fabbed on TSMC and linked together via Intel EMIB.
kevingadd 5y ago
Hopefully this means ARM chips will finally have a good GPU option that has high quality open drivers
- rektide 5y ago
  It's kind of amazing that Nvidia is so widely reviled for frustrating agonizing drivers filled with blobs, while ARM has been around providing no help, no docs, no assistance, no drivers, what-so-ever for over a decade. No one's been thrilled, but basically doing nothing has been more effective PR than doing a so-so job. The situation has changed somewhat recently, but basically only after the reverse engineering efforts succeeded & were fully operational.
  - qbasic_forever 5y ago
    ARM has plenty of docs, sources, etc. for its Mali GPU: https://developer.arm.com/ip-products/graphics-and-multimedia/mali-gpus https://developer.arm.com/ip-products/graphics-and-multimedi... Their GPU drivers are even distributed by Debian: https://wiki.debian.org/MaliGraphics https://wiki.debian.org/MaliGraphics You are probably conflating vendors like Broadcom who license the ARM ISA and processor IP but add their own (closed) GPU to SoCs they produce, like those used in the Raspberry Pi. Remember ARM is just a company that license and sell an ISA and chip design. It's up to system integrators to turn those designs into physical chips, and sadly we have seen many of them don't value making their designs available to open source, etc. The solution to this is to not support those vendors, not to complain at ARM.
    - stefan_ 5y ago
      Mali is every bit as proprietary as Nvidia.
      - hda2 5y ago
        > Mali is every bit as proprietary as Nvidia. I don't think anyone was claiming it isn't. I think GP's (and his GP) point is that ARM /usually/ makes the information needed to develop high quality open source drivers available where as Nvidia tends to do the opposite. Whether these technologies are proprietary or not is orthogonal to this issue.
throwaway120575 5y ago
Amazing what they were able to do in such a short period of time after completely stopping R&D on both their custom CPU and GPU in 2019, opting to instead form a strategic partnership with AMD for the new exynos chips.

by cbg0 5y ago

ksec 5y ago

That was my thought when I read it as well, and I have to scroll all the way down to find this comment. AMD said part of the reason why they partner with Samsung was because they dont compete in Mobile Phone. Which is a valid point. But now Samsung is competing directly in Laptop and PC using these tech. As a tech enthusiast of course I want to see this ARM / AMD Graphics combination. But as an investor I am thinking If we were mislead in a way. And if this true does it mean AMD is open to license AMD graphics IP?

mrweasel 5y ago
It could be a good market for AMD. There a tons of companies designing their own ARM processors, but who don't have the resources to also create a GPU. Nvidia is completely absent from that market, at least currently, so it might be a easy way for AMD to push their GPU design.
- ksec 5y ago
  From a business POV yes. I just dont like companies that lie. Of course at the moment this is still a rumour.
slezyr 5y ago
> And if this true does it mean AMD is open to license AMD graphics IP? This is not the first time this happens. There was an Intel CPU with AMD's GPU. https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/130411/intel-core-i7-8705g-processor-with-radeon-rx-vega-m-gl-graphics-8m-cache-up-to-4-10-ghz.html https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/130411/...
- ksec 5y ago
  AMD didn't license their IP to Intel. It was a collaboration with AMD GPU fabbed on TSMC and linked together via Intel EMIB.

kevingadd 5y ago

Hopefully this means ARM chips will finally have a good GPU option that has high quality open drivers

rektide 5y ago
It's kind of amazing that Nvidia is so widely reviled for frustrating agonizing drivers filled with blobs, while ARM has been around providing no help, no docs, no assistance, no drivers, what-so-ever for over a decade. No one's been thrilled, but basically doing nothing has been more effective PR than doing a so-so job. The situation has changed somewhat recently, but basically only after the reverse engineering efforts succeeded & were fully operational.
- qbasic_forever 5y ago
  ARM has plenty of docs, sources, etc. for its Mali GPU: https://developer.arm.com/ip-products/graphics-and-multimedia/mali-gpus https://developer.arm.com/ip-products/graphics-and-multimedi... Their GPU drivers are even distributed by Debian: https://wiki.debian.org/MaliGraphics https://wiki.debian.org/MaliGraphics You are probably conflating vendors like Broadcom who license the ARM ISA and processor IP but add their own (closed) GPU to SoCs they produce, like those used in the Raspberry Pi. Remember ARM is just a company that license and sell an ISA and chip design. It's up to system integrators to turn those designs into physical chips, and sadly we have seen many of them don't value making their designs available to open source, etc. The solution to this is to not support those vendors, not to complain at ARM.
  - stefan_ 5y ago
    Mali is every bit as proprietary as Nvidia.
    - hda2 5y ago
      > Mali is every bit as proprietary as Nvidia. I don't think anyone was claiming it isn't. I think GP's (and his GP) point is that ARM /usually/ makes the information needed to develop high quality open source drivers available where as Nvidia tends to do the opposite. Whether these technologies are proprietary or not is orthogonal to this issue.

throwaway120575 5y ago

Amazing what they were able to do in such a short period of time after completely stopping R&D on both their custom CPU and GPU in 2019, opting to instead form a strategic partnership with AMD for the new exynos chips.