Giving AMD credit where credit is due: the 29K
Saturn V at May 25, 2001 5:35 PM
"AMD does not know how to handle technical uncertainty and the risk of new and unknown markets. It has never pioneered new markets ! It waits for a promising new market to develop and then tries to deliver a cheaper or a marginally better product . "
I would count the 29000, aka the 29K, as a major attempt to pioneer a major new architecture. The 29K was a very well-regarded chip, often used in high-performance laser printers. (Not being an architect, it looks to me to have been the same "high performance microcontroller" niche/space as the Intel 960 was in.)
As with other well-regarded architecures, e.g., the VAX-like 32032 from National, it didn't catch on well enough for AMD to make enough money to continue it.
But they tried, and I have to give them credit for that. (I remember the "awe" that the 29K engendered when people talked about their high-end laser printer having a 29K in it. I wish I knew more about who did the 29K, why it was killed within AMD in favor of the x86, etc. Too bad folks from that mid-80s era are not commenting.)
As the 29K was dying, AMD placed more emphasis on being a viable second-source to Intel. I think they did a sleazy thing or two with the "deal" to do a graphics chip in exchange for Intel's cooperation (which Intel offered because a second source was important then, and as it still may be), but this was litigated in the late 80s, early 90s and settled. Time to move on on that issue. (And, ironically, it was Barrett who was sent in as the negotiatior to settle with AMD...an interesting precursor to the similar settlement of the FTC case a few years ago.)
What surprises me, by the way, is not that AMD is fairly successful with their Athlon, etc., but that there IS NOT MORE COMPETITION!
Compared to some times in the past, as when Intel faced serious competition from MIPS, SPARC, PowerPC, etc., it is stunning to me that the competition from AMD is really just about all there is today. (Yeah, I know about PowerPC. I use several PPCs in my various Macs. But I know that Nick Tredennick was right when he wrote in "Microprocessor Report" that Intel ships more x86 processors before lunch on the average day than Motorola ships PowerPCs in a month. Well, almost so.)
"AMD forte is good execution in a well defined marketplace. Once the communication market is better defined AMD could again become a factor."
Agreed. And I believe even AMD's success in recent years has a lot to do with the infusion of "Intel genes" into their way of doing things. The NexGen people, Vin Dham, etc.
Now that most of those folks have left, or been purged, this may explain why AMD is having some troubles following through on the obvious--and deserved--Athlon success.
--Tim May |
