Comdex Day 1: AMD Roadmap

[Guest]

Unlike the previous Comdex, this time, AMD seems to have its mouth sealed. I still remember the last Comdex, AMD shown the air-cooled Thunderbird, but why all of a sudden, AMD seems to be so quiet about its Roadmap?

Something fishy must be going on. First, about the 0.13 micron migration, they are totally relying on Intel's 0.13 micron process paper launch? Wow man, I hope they buy insurance on that.

Secondly, no further explaination about Palomino lower power consumption? Are they still talking about the PowerNow! feature?

No further information about better branch prediction? Or is it because some of the capable engineer has left AMD? No one working on it now?

1.5 Ghz in a closed box? Who can't say it is actually a Thunderbird with a screen saver saying it is 1498 Mhz Athlon??

AMD 760 MP again in a close box??? Who can't say it is a Abit BP6 with two Celeron in it?? Whats wrong to AMD?

Clawhammer one or two core? What is seriously wrong with AMD??

I really hope the few very capable CPU architects that have left AMD a few months ago is not giving AMD a hard time. They seems to be keeping everything secret.... which makes me think something fishy is going on.

First, the withdrawal of Mustang, and now the Comdex.
It seems that there is nothing very new that AMD can offer us in 2001. They seems to push all of the promise to 2002. Which makes them a year behind. I sincerely wish them good luck in whatever they are doing.

 

[machow]

As I posted on the other posts (well, lots of them), AMD is trying to stay quiet so that Intel could not easily know what are AMD's plans. AMD likes shocking ambush, like the GHz race, so that it will keep Intel off guard. Why hit the grass and scare the snakes away? -- Chinese proverb

Smart guys are not smart; they only see things in different perspective.
1st <b>ENTHUSIAST</b>!

 

[Guest]

Hrm...

I'm inclined to agree that something is fishy. But here is an optimistic counterpossibility:

So far, everyone operates really quite far in the open, announcing way far ahead of launches, etc. Now intel has stubbed its toes repeatedly on this policy. (see Itanic, P4 release dates) SO why not try a different marketing strategy, where instead of generating product specific hype, they say as little as possible until they are sure it will work and they know what it can do. Then they do the release. In the meantime, they generate "white noise" hype that keeps the interest and speculation going, but without committing to anything.

Pretty clever. Too clever? Probably. Like I said, it is an optimistic possibility.

Could be done, though. Just need some good spin doctors and PR peeps from beyond the pale.

We always expect AMD to do just as Intel does, and get suspicious when they don't, when maybe we should be more suprised when they don't learn from Intels mistakes.

Balgillow

Trust in Murphy, the God of Inevitability

 

[leonov]

Re the 0.13 process issue. An AMD rep has said that though Intel may launch their process before AMD the ramp will take about 6 months and they should reach full availability around the same time.

Why should they say anything about Palomino chips they haven't launched them yet?

As for the 1.5GHz Palomino and 760MP Dean Kent at Real world tech has said that the 1.5GHz chip was an air cooled Palomino and an AMD rep said that the 760MP was basically ready and they were just monitoring the DDR rollout for any issues before putting it out.

I am amazed that you choose to make some big issue over whether Clawhammer has one or two cores. Perhaps you would care to explain what the issue actually is.

Finally you are making some big issue 'cause AMD are being quiet about the Mustang core. Have you got any good reason to believe that there are issues?

L

PS I have put the laughing symbol on this post 'cause I find most of your 'points' amusing

 

[Guest]

I suppose we are the witness at the dawn of a new Chipzilla.

 

[Guest]

>Finally you are making some big issue 'cause AMD are being
>quiet about the Mustang core. Have you got any good reason
>to believe that there are issues?

Well, they boasted about their Mustang core during the Athlon (classic) launch. They have been quiet about the Mustang core for quite sometimes after that and at the end they CANCEL it. Maybe I am being too perssimistic. I thought they might have hit some major difficulties on their way. And before all these happens, it happens that there are so many "bad things" happening in AMD, first Serverworks pull out. Secondly, quite a few of the capable man, or should I say, the man behind K7 CPU design has left AMD. Now, I am not sure what consequence this would bring to AMD. Again, I say I am perssimistic about this. Who knows suddenly when Intel launch Pentium IV, and the night before, AMD launch their Mustang core again in the press?

 

[Guest]

It is very possible that AMD hushed up about the Mustang core because they began to see that it may not be necessary as they now claim. As far as I can see, their claims about the lack of a market for the Mustang are pretty valid and their cancelation of it understandable.