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This is bad. We now have an x86 chip monopoly.

by api 14y ago

w1ntermute 14y ago
And newcomers can't enter the market because they'd need a patent cross-licensing agreement with Intel, like AMD had. And a newcomer is unlikely to get such an agreement.
- roc 14y ago
  I'm sure AMD would be more than happy to sell their position to any would-be competitor, if it's transferable. I think the bigger problem is just that it's extremely difficult and expensive to compete with Intel on x86. And all of a sudden the x86 market has taken a turn toward lower growth and lower margins. So, really, why would anyone bother when it's cheaper to get into the mobile/low-power ARM race and those markets have so much more up-side and room to make advancements that aren't contingent on billion dollar foundry investments?
  - wtallis 14y ago
    "I'm sure AMD would be more than happy to sell their position to any would-be competitor, if it's transferable." It's almost certainly not transferable to the extent allowed by law, given the trouble Intel caused just over AMD spinning off their fab business.
  - sliverstorm 14y ago
    it's extremely difficult and expensive to compete with Intel on x86 Amen. Intel's process advantage alone is a big challenge.
bryanlarsen 14y ago
AMD is still developing their Atom-class processors, so technically there is still competition. It is possible that their next generation of netbook CPUs is showing such good performance that they decided that they could succeed in taking it upmarket. I doubt it, but it is possible. It's a very strange move for AMD. The A15 chips they're developing are roughly in the same performance & power markets as modern Atom-class chips. Another way to think of this move is that AMD is betting the farm on the bet that mediocre CPU + fast GPU is a more compelling play than fast CPU + mediocre GPU. That might be a good bet, but it's too bad they no longer have the resources to take both sides of the bet.
flyinRyan 14y ago
If everyone moves off x86 it won't matter.
- jpdoctor 14y ago
  And the monopoly should scare away anyone who has business sense from putting them in their critical path.
__alexs 14y ago
There's still VIA and RDC. So really it's just a monopoly on x86 chips that have decent performance.
andrewcooke 14y ago
apart from market economics, it's frustrating to not have political choice. intel invests heavily in israel and for some of us, that was reason enough to buy amd (and yes, i know they recently opened a centre in tel aviv). really frustrating news.
- steve19 14y ago
  Oh please spare us. You buy [just about everything] from china, your car/bus runs on gas from [some dictatorship], your home is powered by coal. You don't want to buy from a multinational because they employ Israelis? You need to get out and meet some israelis, nice people. Probably worried about a rocket landing on thier heads, but nice people.
  - andrewcooke 14y ago
    actually, i do know some israelis (and you are right - they are nice people). in general they are also as frustrated as i am with current politics and are quite happy with my attitude (in my experience, it's the american jews i know who get more annoyed, but some of them are cool too). in short, it's a complicated world, and takes all sorts. you're welcome to not share - and even belittle - my opinion, but i am, thankfully, free to state it...
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
      - andrewcooke 14y ago
        your arguments don't make much sense to me, and i suspect everyone would be happier if we took this to email. so feel free to contact me at andrew@acooke.org if you think there's something worth rationally discussing here - all i am getting is that you disagree with my politics and that makes you mad. (i don't blame you for being mad - i am angry too, but from a different viewpoint, obviously.) [edit: ok, no problem.]
    - steve19 14y ago

This is bad. We now have an x86 chip monopoly.

by api 14y ago

This is bad. We now have an x86 chip monopoly.

And newcomers can't enter the market because they'd need a patent cross-licensing agreement with Intel, like AMD had. And a newcomer is unlikely to get such an agreement.

roc 14y ago
I'm sure AMD would be more than happy to sell their position to any would-be competitor, if it's transferable. I think the bigger problem is just that it's extremely difficult and expensive to compete with Intel on x86. And all of a sudden the x86 market has taken a turn toward lower growth and lower margins. So, really, why would anyone bother when it's cheaper to get into the mobile/low-power ARM race and those markets have so much more up-side and room to make advancements that aren't contingent on billion dollar foundry investments?
- wtallis 14y ago
  "I'm sure AMD would be more than happy to sell their position to any would-be competitor, if it's transferable." It's almost certainly not transferable to the extent allowed by law, given the trouble Intel caused just over AMD spinning off their fab business.
- sliverstorm 14y ago
  it's extremely difficult and expensive to compete with Intel on x86 Amen. Intel's process advantage alone is a big challenge.

bryanlarsen 14y ago

AMD is still developing their Atom-class processors, so technically there is still competition. It is possible that their next generation of netbook CPUs is showing such good performance that they decided that they could succeed in taking it upmarket. I doubt it, but it is possible. It's a very strange move for AMD. The A15 chips they're developing are roughly in the same performance & power markets as modern Atom-class chips. Another way to think of this move is that AMD is betting the farm on the bet that mediocre CPU + fast GPU is a more compelling play than fast CPU + mediocre GPU. That might be a good bet, but it's too bad they no longer have the resources to take both sides of the bet.

flyinRyan 14y ago

If everyone moves off x86 it won't matter.

jpdoctor 14y ago
And the monopoly should scare away anyone who has business sense from putting them in their critical path.

__alexs 14y ago

There's still VIA and RDC. So really it's just a monopoly on x86 chips that have decent performance.

andrewcooke 14y ago

apart from market economics, it's frustrating to not have political choice. intel invests heavily in israel and for some of us, that was reason enough to buy amd (and yes, i know they recently opened a centre in tel aviv). really frustrating news.

steve19 14y ago
Oh please spare us. You buy [just about everything] from china, your car/bus runs on gas from [some dictatorship], your home is powered by coal. You don't want to buy from a multinational because they employ Israelis? You need to get out and meet some israelis, nice people. Probably worried about a rocket landing on thier heads, but nice people.
- andrewcooke 14y ago
  actually, i do know some israelis (and you are right - they are nice people). in general they are also as frustrated as i am with current politics and are quite happy with my attitude (in my experience, it's the american jews i know who get more annoyed, but some of them are cool too). in short, it's a complicated world, and takes all sorts. you're welcome to not share - and even belittle - my opinion, but i am, thankfully, free to state it...
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
    - andrewcooke 14y ago
      your arguments don't make much sense to me, and i suspect everyone would be happier if we took this to email. so feel free to contact me at andrew@acooke.org if you think there's something worth rationally discussing here - all i am getting is that you disagree with my politics and that makes you mad. (i don't blame you for being mad - i am angry too, but from a different viewpoint, obviously.) [edit: ok, no problem.]
  - steve19 14y ago