Microsoft To Acquire AMD?
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0blivious
We can hate on the evil eMpire all we want but I think this would be fantastic for AMD if it did happen. An immediate infusion of cash into R&D is what they desperately need. Microsoft may benefit by being able to produce/design it's own hardware in house.
flashmozzg
Nah. It awfully looks like another Elope Nokia scenario...
Jagman
Agreed, and maybe they can get Zen out the door sooner 😀
Anarion
I doubt it. Unless they have some kind of great plan I don't see why they would buy AMD.
Loophole35
Under cut Sony on the next console.
Elder III
I think this would actually be a good thing for everyone. I have a friend who works for Microsoft, but I don't think he's high enough up the food chain to confirm this.....
Fender178
As far as PC gaming goes this is a good Idea. On the Console Front I can't see this ending good if you are Sony and maybe Nintendo with Code Name NX because of finding a different manufactures for CPU and GPU and costing more money to make the Consoles because of going to Nvidia and Intel for their parts however this could play into their favor because of making a far superior product considering how far ahead Intel is in the CPU department. Also with the original Xbox and how much trouble MS had with Nvidia and vice versa.
Aura89
Wouldn't this invalidate the x86 license and kinda make it pointless aside from the graphics card division? I know i have heard some people say there might be loopholes on the x86 license....
Fender178
Yeah I also remember this being mentioned as well. I think that it would void the x86 license that AMD has.
mcfart
I see no benefit for MS to do this. They already get what they want from AMD (AMD GPUs in Xbox 1)...and AMD's in the red, so what's the point...
MS is focusing on phones/Surface/Xbox 1 to a lesser extent, and buying AMD won't help on any of these, unless they think APUs will make the next Surface revolutionary lol.
Andrew LB
The x86 license is non-transferable. If microsoft bought AMD, they'd have to get their own license from Intel.
0blivious
The x86 licensing is most likely why no one else has bought AMD. I think MS could hurdle that stumbling block though as they are, well, Microsoft.
rl66
true but they have AMD64 wich is compatible with x64 (despite the vice versa is only 99% compatible).
also M$ have it own x86 licence for phone.
at least GPU driver will work fine if it happen it will be a great improvement...
*edit* there is rumor with Intel and NVidia too despite their "little" issue of industrial inteligence.
Cyberdyne
Do they need the X86 license for GPUs? Isn't it more likely that AMD would just sell off the GPU portion of the company to MS?
Evildead666
If the x86 license is any type of problem, MS could just invest to 49% in AMD, and have the agreement that they would put one of their own at the head of AMD from that point on.
AMD would still technically be its own entity, and MS would have a guaranteed HW partner for the next Xbox, which would be in Dev by now for the next UHD/QUHD XBox.
MS doen't want AMD to go under, it would leave them only with Nvidia on the GPU front, and no competition for pricing.
MS could also pay for R&D on the next UHD/QUHD XBox, and share the desktop GPU/CPU revenues derived from the tech.
MS has the money, thats for sure.
Would Apple allow it?
Would MS allow Apple to continue to buy AMD GPU's if they became a major partner ?
Evildead666
MS buy Intel chips for their phones.
AMD could technically do an AMD64-only CPU.
That wouldn't be a problem in the Console world.
That would be interesting, as it could have implications on the Desktop arena afterwards.
Evildead666
They could also design their own Chips and make a console Sony just couldn't, for the same expense.
It could even be a console thats faster than PC's, on release.
We're due a return to custom hardware, console wise next gen i'd hope 🙂
Evildead666
Yeah, I agree.
Intel couldn't do anything about it either.
I don't think Nvidia could do anything.
MS surely has the cash just lying around.
Barry J
Interesting I would be surprised if this ever happened.
mmmmmmmm.
I would be interest in AMD/ATi Gpu if it was owned by Microsoft drivers for windows would be very good.
fellix
The AMD64 set is an integral extension to the x86 ISA and it simply can't be separated without having to rewrite and recompile every OS bootstrap/kernel and device driver out there. It will essentially become an entirely new ISA, since AMD64 itself is quite incomplete without the old x86. At this point, it's better to use something with established user-base, like ARM.
