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AMD is a fabless chip designer (like nearly everyone except Intel and Samsung). They rely on foundries for manufacturing. AMD relies on GlobalFoundries (and NVi
by icegreentea 11y ago
AMD is a fabless chip designer (like nearly everyone except Intel and Samsung). They rely on foundries for manufacturing. AMD relies on GlobalFoundries (and NVidia relies on TSMC). Both manufactures have skipped on either foundries 20nm process since apparently the output didn't suit GPU performance requirements.
- cwyers 11y ago> AMD is a fabless chip designer (like nearly everyone except Intel and Samsung) Okay, but they didn't used to be. They sold all their fabs. And when their reliance on third-party fabs meant they couldn't keep up with Intel, they did... nothing. Now, you could argue that they don't have the resources to do anything. But that doesn't mean it's not their fault that they didn't do something, it just means they couldn't.
- phatfish 11y agoI think the issue was they couldn't keep their own fabs running hot enough at a large enough scale with just the volume of silicone they were selling. If the fab sitting idle or production is bellow running cost then they are in trouble. Better to spend that money on R&D.
- MoOmer 11y agoLet's not forget to that they had to sell the fabs due to Intel anti-competitive market squeezing. They would offer the chips for free, but vendors would still be better off with the Intel kickbacks. They were later compensated, but the damage done was incredibly destructive.