Tenchusatsu,
<considering the similarities between K7 and Alpha, including identical EV6 processor interfaces, wouldn't it have made more sense if AMD bought the Alpha IP?.>
What IP? Just about the only useful thing AMD could have gotten from the DEC guys is the compiler team. Other than that there ain't much there.
And even if AMD does need to license any additional IP for Hammer, which is doubtful, Compaq has stated that it would be openly available.
<Too bad Intel got there first. >
Intel needed that. ITanium looked like it was dying on the vine until this deal. In winning one of biggest high-end server guys Intel put some life into the program and effectively got Compaq to shut the door on AMD's aspirations to win those sockets.
<And now, like X-Box, people are acting like AMD never needed it anyway>
There is some truth in this one. Lack of X-box win effectively sealed the fate of 3DNow! instruction set and similarly the Compaq loss will make it extremely difficult for AMD to get x86-64 into the enterprise server space (especially in the US).
But make no mistake about it - the X-box deal probably would have been worth lot more to AMD than Compaq's server deal. With x86-64 AMD still has a shot at Sun and Unix houses.
I am somewhat surprised by the excessive gloating by the Intel longs on this issue. Sure, this is a key strategic win for Intel and major setback for AMD's 4-8 way server aspirations and it is probably fun to rub some of the incorrigible long's noses into ground but the amount of money involved in this business will be very small for a very long period of time. The desktop, laptop and 2-way server design wins are now and will be a lot more significant revenue/profit contributor for a long time to come.
Intel is spending all this money because of an asinine decisions that were made a decade back in establishing this radically new architecture. I would be surprised if the IA-64 group recoups its investments in this effort until 2005 or later.
Does anyone, especially the people that thing the game is over for AMD, have a cogent argument that shows IA-64 will make money anytime soon? Or, how it will impact AMD's revenues or profits? Anyone?
If one were to look at the near term, Intel will lose money on Networking, Wireless, Internet, and IA-64 efforts. That basically leaves the x86 desktop/laptop/server business to bring home the bacon. And that business is still very much under attack by AMD as will be visible by the upcoming earnings reports.
Chuck
P.S.: Once this IA-64 depression/euphoria runs its course, may be we should start talking about the delays in Mobile Tualatins and how it impacts the laptop business dynamics for the next couple of quarters to get this thread back to discussions that have a little more impact on both the companies in the near term. |
