Tag Archives: AMD

Apple and AMD/ATI should merge

Posted by Tom Schultz on April 16, 2010 None comments

So a friend at work showed me this article on macrumors.com today. It talks about Apple potentially looking to AMD for their next processor line up, due to Intel’s production shortcomings.

Now that’s interesting, AMD has been in Intel’s shadow for a long time and it would be great to see them get something good going again. It would be huge if Apple decided to use AMD processors in their computers. AMD has ATI which has been making great budget graphics cards.  AMD also has a really decent platform for their CPUs right now. While both Intel and AMD are screaming about hex-a-cores there appear to be some differences between the platforms that Apple could indulge in. For example, AMD’s processors appear to use less power. This would be huge for laptops and cooling issues.

So here is what I think…

Apple should buy AMD.

I think it would just make sense and be a benefit to both companies. Apple could then have in-house CPU and GPU production and they wouldn’t have to worry about production delays. They would also have the ability to have their hand in the development of new CPU/GPU platforms which they have already  expressed an interest in by purchasing P.A. Semi for the development of the A4 chip in the iPad.

Apple would have the ability to really open up their creativity for a bargain price!

AMD’s market cap is $6 Billion…that’s just 1 quarter’s revenue for Apple ($223 Billion market cap).  Of course, I’m using these numbers wrong, but I just want to put into scale the difference in the sizes of the companies.

So these thoughts have really made me wonder, “What was AMD really doing at the ApplePlex?”

AMD’s chance to gain power

Posted by Tom Schultz on November 15, 2009 1 comments

I know I’m a little late on news here but I just read this(IEEE Spectrum) and I thought it was kind of interesting. Apparently Intel is paying AMD 1.25 billion united states dollars!

Can you say “give me a raise”…if you work for AMD that is.

They say that 1.25B was “a small multiple” of what they may have had to pay in court.  Now my question is, what kind of position does this put AMD in for the future? Their stock jumped 16% on the news and their market cap is only 4.38B, so 1.25B is over 25% of what they may be worth.  The down side is that AMD hasn’t posted a profit in a while.

The interesting part is that AMD doesn’t just make desktop processors anymore right? They also have ATI and a few other irons in the fire. So my question is “what is AMD going to do with their 1.25 billion?”

AMD’s processors have kind of let people down in the last few years but they’re starting to turn things around by doing things like making a processor that is capable of breaking the 7Ghz barrier(Gizmodo).

We’ve heard a lot in the past of AMD’s grand plans for new processor platforms and their crazy modular ideas but what is really feasible and what would be generally accepted and bought by people?

I think it could be time to start watching AMD again because there should be some crazy stuff coming down the pipes from them.  I mean heck what could you do with 1.25 billion?