Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: kash johal who wrote (74765)	10/9/1999 4:41:00 PM
From: Jim McMannis	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1572941

RE:"So pretty soon the company will be sitting with 2 empty fabs unless they do something pretty damn quick."... How fast could AMD ramp up motherboards in some of this idle FAB space? How do you figure Dresden is delayed 6 months? December 99 was always the timeframe for the first Dresden chips to come off the line... Jim

To: kash johal who wrote (74765)	10/10/1999 2:31:00 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 1572941

Kash RE <<<I think its a shame he is not in charge and Jerry is still fumbling and bumbling with a hail mary pass.>>> RAZA WANTED TO SELL DRESDEN!!! I heard that from 3 different sources: the UK Register, thestreet.com and the WSJ. It would have been a very foolish business move for several important reasons. Apparently Raza was a good technician whom the employees liked but, again apparently, he was not a visionary with good business sense. Consequently, he had to go. RE <<<Dresden should be manufacturing wafers by know. You know it and I know it.>>> Why should it be ? Why should I know that? Is there a prescribed rule that states the length of time allowed for a fab to go from design inception to production; particularly one introducing a new technology? If there is, I haven't seen one? From what little I know of fabs, they have to be one of man's more complicated structures to build and bring online. Besides, who gives a rats ass?!! Fab 25 which is producing K-6s AND the Athlon is ONLY at 80% capacity. They don't need Dresden yet and seemingly they won't need it for the next six months. So why is this an issue for you? RE <<<Now its delayed 6 months because they have way too much capacity at Fab 25 let alone start a new megafab.>>> If you know this, again why are you freaked about Dresden not being online? Clearly there is a reason for sanders wanting to share the Dresden fab with another manufacturer and that reason is AMD currently has EXCESS capacity. RE <<<In addition the Celeron+MB deals Intel cut to leverage out K6's were a clear sign that AMD needed to get control of the chipset/MB margins and compete. Instead they have been beaten by Intel to the point that they are selling fewer CPU's this year than last year. And finally the whole K7 infrastructure issue was not and should not have been a surprise to anybody.>>> **AMD IS THE COMPANY THAT GOT THE GERMAN GOV'T (and let's remember the Germans are no slouches when it comes to negotiating a deal) ESSENTIALLY TO SUBSIDIZE THEIR NEW FAB TO THE TUNE OF MILLIONS IF NOT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AS WELL AS GET CONCESSIONS FROM THEIR WORKERS EXCLUDING THEM FROM THE SAME BENEFITS AS THE REST OF THE GERMAN WORKING CLASS. (I thought AMD was a chip manu., not a developer?...and yes Dresden is in the old GDR and the Germans want hi-tech development there but it is still a major coup). AMD IS THE COMPANY THAT AGAINST ALMOST INSURMOUNTABLE ODDS (and with little dinero) CAME UP WITH WHAT MOST EXPERTS ARE CALLING THE FASTEST CPU IN THE WORLD AND A SEVENTH GENERATION CHIP AT THAT. **TO DATE AMD IS THE ONLY COMPANY WHICH WAS ABLE TO STEAL MARKET SHARE FROM INTC IN THE LOW END. The others like NSM have pretty much given up with the exception of Via who is making another stab at it. Now you are trying to tell me that AMD could do the above but could not manage to get the mother boards manufactured. Let me tell you, I have done development......getting the Dresden deal was far more complicated, far more arduous, far more time consuming than getting 400,000 motherboards built. Didn't AMD design and build chipsets for the Athlon in order to smooth the ramping process? Hell, Kash, use your brain......there has to be a better reason for AMD not having motherboards besides just a typical screwup...from the CC it is clear that AMD is working hard to avoid screwups. I am sure AMD had x number of motherboards ordered for delivery on x date. Now why do you think this did not happen? Its not because of last minute design changes. And frankly I don't buy into this thread's notion that the Germans or the Koreans or the Taiwanese are incompetent; that is more xenophobia and prejudice than reality. All manufacturers can make mistakes and language barriers can create problems but these are relatively normal aspects of doing business in a global economy. In fact I believe all it took to screwup the order was for one very large and important customer to come in and say that it wanted all its components first before any of their other customers were satisfied.......much like Dell this week.......and AMD's order was pushed down on the priority list. And I am not talking conspiracy here either; that's a whole other issue.....but rather about normal business practice. Of course AMD's lack of past credibility didn't help the matter either. But to condemn AMD for not being able to overcome this bias is like punishing a blind man for not seeing. I DO NOT BELIEVE FOR ONE SECOND (and I am surprised that you do) THAT A COMPANY THAT WAS ABLE TO JUMP THE HURDLES THAT ENABLED IT TO BUILD A STATE OF THE ART FAB IN GERMANY, TO DESIGN AND MANU THE FASTEST CPU AND TO STEAL MARKET SHARE FROM intc WAS NOT ABLE TO PLACE A MOTHERBOARD ORDER CORRECTLY.....BECAUSE THERE ORDER DEPT IS MADE UP OF A BUNCH OF SLACKERS ?!!! OR BECAUSE SANDERS HAD HIS MIND ON A FILM PREMIER IN LA?!!! Crazy, absolutely crazy!!! If you want to believe that kind of bullsht and make YOURSELF crazy, then go for it.....but I refuse to buy into it. RE <<<So pretty soon the company will be sitting with 2 empty fabs unless they do something pretty damn quick.>>> As for this last comment, I can only assume that your angst brought you to this conclusion. Kash, whether you believe it or not....AMD is executing; far better than most of us would have imagined just 90 days ago (after listening to the Q2 CC). I do not care what anyone else says on this thread, it is moving in the right direction.......maybe not as fast as some of us would like but it is getting there nonetheless. And if you don't believe me, then please explain to me why intc is playing the hardest hard ball I have seen in quite a while..........because CSCO wants to get into the chip business? I don't thiiiink so. There are no promises but I think AMD is going to pull off a coup....so much so, I actually think I will make a profit on my AMD investment. I look forward to your reply. ted

To: kash johal who wrote (74765)	10/10/1999 6:17:00 PM
From: Mani1	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1572941

Kash Re <<Dresden should be manufacturing wafers by know. You know it and I know it.>> I don't know it. What is your source? Re <<So pretty soon the company will be sitting with 2 empty fabs unless they do something pretty damn quick.>. If you are looking for a quick fix, you will not get it. They have informed us of their plan very clearly. As Dresden ramps some of the fab 25 will be used for flash. Also a partner for fab 30 will help to absorb some of the cost. You sure change your mind quickly. One day you love AMD and its execution and the next day you hate them. :) Mani