5.07.2007

NVIDIA and Intel Cooperate Against AMD

From TGDAILY:
"Chicago (IL) – Nvidia apparently is looking for a closer relationship with Intel and release some of its graphics technologies in exchange for an improved cooperation with the world’s largest processor, graphics and chipset manufacturer."

Common sense requires that NVIDIA work with Intel to negate any advantage AMD has with its shared CPU and & GPU technologies. Intel on the other hand is quite open to helping out anybody that can hurt its main rival AMD. While it is known that Intel is looking at including graphics capabilities in future multi-core CPU's, the high-end graphics solution is a market segment intel does not wish to enter. The margins and return on investment to fighting a low volume segment does not appeal to Intel. NVIDIA will be more willing to share some of its secrets to get free reign in the discrete market.

Intel and NVIDIA shouldn't find it difficult to work out a win-win strategy as they both take market share from the struggling AMD instead of each other. Maybe they can both teach AMD a lesson about getting something without necessarily breaking the bank.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, we'll need to wait and see until this rumor is confirmed by either or both parties at some point in the not so distant future.

Looks like Mr. Richard is trying to tone down "Fusion". Surely AMD would not be making it's bets based on Micro$oft...or could it?

http://www.betanews.com/article/AMD_CPUGPU_Fusion_May_Be_More_Gradual_Past_2009/1178553756

Unknown said...

This is a brilliant plan by Intel and Nvidia. Intel will have 100% of CPU market share. Nvidia will have 100% of discrete GPU market share. Then Intel and Nvidia can split the chipset and integrated graphics market 50/50.

Anonymous said...

the best part is that they buy AMD's and ATI's technologies while its being sold piece by piece after going BK in Q2'08.

Anonymous said...

To the first poster who attached the link on fusion - this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has any background in SOC attempts.

I found it humorous to hear the AMD fans saying this will be a breakthrough and bury Intel into being a follower and thinking this is the successor to K10 (it is actually a branch from CPU/architecture development) .

At best the initial implementations are going to be focused on low end, low performance, low power, low margin products. I could see this having some appeal in developing markets but as the writer pointed out this isn't something that can simply be plug and play with existing SW ecosystem.

What's funny is Microsoft SHOULD be jumping on this - they are having a hard time penetrating developing markets with Windows/Vista due to the absurd cost (how does one make a $100, er...$150 laptop, when the OS costs more than that alone?). And if they do start lowering the price for this, how can they justify the artificially high prices they currently sell Windows at? This by the way is also why you now are seeing so much segmentation/variety of Vista versions.

Fusion would allow them to develop SW which they could price different than Windows/Vista and then not have to worry about it getting back into the higher end markets. Of course MS might have done the risk/reward with the risk of this chip being a total flop and decided to slow boat this development.

AMD now seems to be run by spinners. Are we still on track for a "mid-2007" introduction, or was it launch, or was it sampling, or was it shipment to OEMs for K10? It's now May and AMD can't provide a specific launch date for K10? 65nm "launch" by end of 2007 turned into well we're going to start shipping it, you may not ACTUALLY be able to buy products....but hey we met our schedule! Now we have a "hard launch" of R600 in May or was it Dec last year or was it June or...?

Fusion's needs to have an "end of decade/beginning of next decade" schedule so AMD has at least a 4 year window to claim it is on time. AMD's new PR scheme seems to be push out the schedule, put a hige window on it, than pull it in to the beginning of the window and say you are ahead of schedule...

Anonymous said...

There is some additional news today on the Inquirer about what allegedly NVIDIA and Intel got on the deal.

Today Intel launched their Santa Rosa platform/Centrino upgrade. It there would have been a photo opportunity for NVDA and INTC to jointly stick it to DAAMIT it should have been today. Thus far I have not heard anything about this supposed level of cooperation.