Intel Could Buy AMD as x86 Microprocessors Lose Share to ARM


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Intel Could Buy AMD as x86 Microprocessors Lose Share to ARM

As media tablets and smartphones are on-track to outsell personal computers in the coming years, the significance of x86 processors, exclusively designed and made by Advanced Micro Devices and Intel Corp., is getting lower. As a result, long-rumoured Intel?s wish to buyout its only rival is getting more realistic, according to a source in the financial community. Due to the renewed acquisition rumour and AMD?s gains in consoles and low-power computers, stock of the company is growing.

According to a source of the Tech Trader Daily blog who could not be quoted by name, the persistent rumor that Intel will buy AMD, might suddenly be thinkable since the field of computing is now being defined more broadly than just the personal computer and the x86 micro-architecture, which means there are no more as many anti-trust issues as before. It may be unlikely that Intel and AMD are interested in consolidation just now, but as the share of devices based on ARM architecture is increasing, so are the chances that Intel and AMD could merge.

?Although the rumor is not a new one, it is in circulation again today,? the source is quoted as saying.

Both AMD and Intel have seen moderate success in media tablets and smartphones because of various reasons. As a result, sales of the two semiconductor designers are either stagnating or even decreasing these days.

The two companies have a number of unique advantages, which, if combined, could improve positions of the newly formed company. For example, AMD has unique graphics processing and heterogeneous processing intellectual property, whereas Intel has leading-edge manufacturing capacities and the world?s best manufacturing technologies.

Recently AMD scored huge wins as it has been chosen as the only supplier of custom system-on-chips for Microsoft Xbox Infinity (Xbox Next console code-named Durango) as well as Sony PlayStation 4 (code-named Orbis) video game consoles due later this year.

AMD?s stock was up 14.18% to $3.22 on May 1.

AMD and Intel did not comment on the news-story.

Source: xbitlabs.com

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I doubt this would happen because of anti-competition laws.

like the competition laws that stopped oracle from buying sun microsystems? Or that stopped orange and t-mobile to merge to become EE or that let almost all the harddrive manufacturers to merge resulting in extortionate prices? Regulators are corrupt so it is a distinct possibility that this could happen.

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like the competition laws that stopped oracle from buying sun microsystems? Or that stopped orange and t-mobile to merge to become EE? Regulators are corrupt so it is a distinct possibility that this could happen.

What anti-competition laws would have prevented any of those? AMD & Intel are the only major x86 producers, there is no competition outside of those two companies. In the server markets, there's a lot of competition, so there's nothing anti-competitive about Oracle buying Sun.

Also, Orange & T-Mobile aren't US companies, so our anti-competitive laws wouldn't have made a difference there.

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I also doubt that regulators would approve such a thing. If they do, that means Intel gets Radeon division as well, I guess? What they're going to do with it? APU - well, that's settled. High-end GPUs, though. And, more importantly, being a fanboi, I'll have a hard time choosing no sides at all.

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I doubt this would happen because of anti-competition laws.

The point of the article is that with ARM processors now abundant, there's a different sort of competition going on.

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Yeah but aren't AMD and Intel the only ones shipping x86 CPUs?

If Intel buys AMD then only Intel will be releasing x86 CPUs and no one else will be able to because of all the patents they have.

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Yeah but aren't AMD and Intel the only ones shipping x86 CPUs?

If Intel buys AMD then only Intel will be releasing x86 CPUs and no one else will be able to because of all the patents they have.

VIA still exists, in some form.

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Yeah but aren't AMD and Intel the only ones shipping x86 CPUs?

If Intel buys AMD then only Intel will be releasing x86 CPUs and no one else will be able to because of all the patents they have.

Ipads , iphones, and arm tablets do not have x86 cpu's in them. So there is still competition. X86 doesn't matter as much as computer competition does.

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I think because of the decline in traditional CPU usage/sales and the high amount market share now going to ARM devices, the argument could be made that an Intel/AMD merger/buyout would NOT be an antitrust violation. 'x86' as a product has ample competition from ARM devices in the general marketplace. While Intel/AMD would be a single provider for x86 devices, the consumer has plenty of other purchase opportunities for consuming or creating digital content. I'm not saying I'd like to see it happen, I can just see a way the regulators may ALLOW it to happen.

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VIA produces low end x86 CPUs for the embedded market that run slow without fans BUT high efficiency, they are not competition to intel and they pay intel to produce them.

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Intel shouldn't be allowed to have a monopoly.

I'd rather see AMD continue, and Intel go under. :p

So you rather AMD have a monopoly?

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OMG this would be the worst thing to happen to pc's in like forever. THE ONLY REASON cpu's are as cheap as they are is BECAUSE OF AMD.....

The greed dogs at intel would have us by the balls....

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I use to buy AMD CPUs when they were more closer to Intel's CPUs performance, but now with Intel's CPUs so much better in performance it just don't make sense. I like the underdog and competition but Intel's CPUs are way better. I use to buy ATI's video cards for the same reason but when Windows 8 came out and AMD decided to cut support for the 4000 series and older graphic cards, I got ****ed at them. My 4870x2 was fine and there is no reason I should have to upgrade it. Now I will be buying Nvidia which I feel is the better card right now anyway. So due to all of the following reasons I rather see Intel buy Nvidia. That would be a great. Wow would they dominate. There still would be competition with Intel and AMD in the CPU and GPU market.

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when they merge it would be a matter of time before Computers become sentient and obliterate humanity :p

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Bah. I'm a die-hard Intel fanboi and even I didn't start crapping in here with "huzzaa" and such. But we do see "prices hurr durr" and "competishun hurr durr" again. With all caps no less.

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I very much doubt this would be allowed. Intel has already been found guilty of anti-competitive behaviour on numerous occasions and buying AMD certainly wouldn't improve the situation. ARM processors may be more popular but they aren't an option for desktop systems - any buyout would destroy competition in large segments of the computing industry.

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I don't think "being allowed" would matter...I can't imagine why Intel would do it...other than to acquire the Radeon IP. AMD as a company, as much as I don't have anything against it, is a lame duck. Their offerings and technology can't hold a candle to Intel. Most computers these days are sold with 'Intel inside' (hehe do they still use that??). I seriously doubt how long AMD (in its current form) will be around for...

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AMD's managed to (possibly) make it's way into a net-gen games console, that goes in their favour. AMD are also exploring RISC cores like ARM whereas intel aren't. Not sure if they still do but AMD used to make other silicon stuff as well, FLASH chips and whatnot...

Actually I always remember them from the Cobalt RaQ, you could upgrade intel flash chips to strongbolt 2's firmware but they advised against doing it with AMD chips as they seemed to fail and cause the equipment to become a door stop.

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