It's Time For Samsung To Buy AMD, And AMD Should Let It (Op-Ed)

[Guest]

Samsung is in the position to significantly strengthen its mobile chip division through the acquisition of AMD, while AMD could become not just a much stronger competitor to Intel in the PC chip market, but also a big player in the mobile chip market.

It's Time For Samsung To Buy AMD, And AMD Should Let It (Op-Ed) : Read more

 

[TechyInAZ]

I'd prefer this over AMD going bankrupt.

I love Samsung products, the quality is very good on all Samsung products I've owned. so they both would make a good partnership.

 

[therealduckofdeath]

Why would Samsung buy a company that's primarily building x86 processors at a loss when Samsung seems to be getting themselves out of the PC industry slowly? They've already announced they'll stop selling PC's in Europe.

That would literally be like a PC manufacturers like HP buying a failing mobile company right after they'd just killed of their own mobile production. And looking at how that went for HP, I'd say fairly confidently, Samsung has no interest in AMD.

 

[mapesdhs]

Merging company tech in such a way can be horribly complicated. Even when it
sounds like a grand idea in theory, in reality it can all fall apart over differences
between management, etc. SGI ran into this sort of problem when they tried
to merge with Cray.

I was moaning last year that it if only some outfit like IBM could buy AMD, maybe
they'd finally have the resources to get back in the CPU game, but one has to
ask, is the desktop CPU market something AMD needs to get into once again?
Does it really matter given the current tech trends for tablets, smart TVs, mobile,
phones, etc.? Last quarter saw a further 2.4% decline in PC sales (personally
I think this may be partly because the current generation of PC tech is overpriced).

I'd love to see AMD recover, we need the competition, but a buyout may not help
even if it does sound ideal on paper.

Ian.

 

[phatboe]

Intel's x86 license that they grant to AMD will not be granted to Samsung if they buy AMD, so since that is where most of AMD's assest lie (x86 CPUs) I highly doubt samsung would buy AMD. Though if AMDs new custon designed ARM processor turns out to be highly competitive to other ARM processors Samsung might be more interested in buying AMD.

 

[SkyBill40]

I, too, would favor an acquisition as opposed to outright failure and bankruptcy. While there would undoubtedly be growing pains when considering all the tech they'd invariably be forced to merge together, they'd end up helping each other along the way and likely coming out much better at the end for it.

If AMD is to survive and once again be truly competitive in the PC market, they need a huge influx of cash as well as some new thinking. They could get both in one fell swoop from Samsung. This move could also give Samsung even more power versus Apple.

 

[SonSon1]

Such amount of BS, firstly, AMD needs to make a comeback in the CPU market, otherwise the writer is denying, or ignorant, that GPUs are also chips, and that AMD is getting to be very competitive in that segment.

On the other hand, GloFo does not license 14nm FinFet from Samsung, both developed the process in a partnership. Now, perhaps the writer is not up to speed, TSMC just reported to experience another 6 month delay in their 16nm FinFet, so from where does the write pulls the argument that AMD is always a couple of generations behind. Nvidia and AMD BOTH are on 28nm right now.

In all, one of the most pathetic articles I've read on tomsh

 

[SirTrollsALot]

AMD should stay in the US. Id rather see AMD go bankrupt than get raped by some foreign entity.

 

[FCsean]

<Mod Edit>

<Moderator Warning: Watch your language on this site>

 

[FCsean]

This is one of the most dumb articles I've ever seen.

 

[CaedenV]

Not sure that it needs to be Sammy, but I agree that someone needs to rescue ATI's GPU technology from the sinking ship that is AMD.
But Samsung would be a bad pick for a company like AMD. Samsung is a product based company; meaning that they find what is hot, put in bare-minimum effort in acquiring enough IP to put the product together, ship it, and move on to the next product. They still manage to make a few excellent products (SGS phones, Galaxy Note, and 840/850 SSD lineup to name a few) in a few market segments, but their hits are far fewer than their flops.

Still, someone needs to buy them. Maybe in a few years they will have fallen to a point where VIA will be able to pick them up and finally do something interesting with a patent expansion?

 

[renz496]

i heard a lot of talks that samsung should buy AMD but by buying AMD doesn't it mean they will compete head to head with intel? (that's is if they somehow they can get their hands on the x86 license which is not transferable as it is). IMO samsung might only interested with AMD gpu division. and i do heard about samsung attempting on making their own GPU.

 

[Coup77]

Even after making a custom APU for the XB1 and PS4, and millions of units sold, they are still in financial trouble?. I thought that would have brought them back into full swing again. Mustn't be much margin on those APU's I guess!

 

[Julian Galicia Thomas]

Hope AMD will still make desktop gpu's

 

[padlius]

I believe that Uncle Sam has bigger things to worry about like their Galaxy line not being able to compete well with Chinese knockoff's which run just as fast without the S bloat.

Also as x86 goes, it would only benefit their laptop segment which I'm not even sure exists anymore other than their Chromebooks. It would mean that they could deprive everyone else out of their APU's and strangle the market to their own interests. But no instead they are looking at apple are doing and it really shows. What apple is going to make in 2 years time no one will know and that's why they always going to be behind the jets.

Also AMD should separate their business into 3. GPU/CPU/APU also ditch leave ARM to NVIDIA and push for ATMs. I hope competitors read this and beat them to it, why? I guess I'm schizoid.

Long live AMD

 

[bit_user]

I think a good share of AMD's problems is that Intel was allowed to get too powerful. Once it had secured an unassailable lead in manufacturing tech, DoJ should have forced it to either sell off its manufacturing arm or at least open its fabs to impartially accept bids from outsiders - including competitors.

I know this is going to earn me a lot of down votes, but the point of capitalism is to harness self-interest for the benefit consumers and society. Sometimes, when the game gets too lopsided, a referee needs to step in. And in the past decade or so, the DoJ has been asleep at the switch. I can't even recall the last time I heard it taking any kind of action against a monopoly.

Intel has complete dominance of key markets, through a high degree of vertical integration. There's plenty of precedent for such legal action, going all the way back to Standard Oil and before.

 

[rdc85]

This sound good for AMD, not sure about for Samsung..

If AMD can access Samsung fabrication/foundry with competitive price it can bring back competitiveness..
may still not reach Intel level but will close much gap...

 

[tomfreak]

nice try for clickbait or this writer must be frustrated with Intel's monopoly.

I dont see Samsung getting it as it doesnt really benefit them, they have been slowly quitting the PC market.

If anything it is the any Chinese company is more likely to be interested in AMD. but I doubt US/intel gonna allow x86 license to be transfer to China.

May be if u write an article about Lenovo buying AMD, then I am more likely to believe it since Lenovo bought much of IBM asset and motorola.

 

[g-unit1111]

Why would Samsung buy a company that's primarily building x86 processors at a loss when Samsung seems to be getting themselves out of the PC industry slowly? They've already announced they'll stop selling PC's in Europe.

That would literally be like a PC manufacturers like HP buying a failing mobile company right after they'd just killed of their own mobile production. And looking at how that went for HP, I'd say fairly confidently, Samsung has no interest in AMD.

HP actually did that when they bought Palm and then sold off most of the company's assets including Web OS - which was resold to LG. That I guess would be the downside of such a merger is that would happen.

 

[shadyinc]

What makes even more sense to me is if AMD were to acquire ARM.
Yes it would empty out its cash reserves, but that would be about an years "uneasiness" for the company, after which ARM money could be used. Also, this would be a great step in integrating ARM with x86.

This could potentially help AMD utilize Mali GPU knowledge and IP and reduce power consumption on Radeon cards.
I remember having read some article somewhere suggesting the same.

 

[vmem]

I'd be rooting for this, an AMD with Samsung's wallet and fabrication capabilities would give all the current big players some serious competition (Intel, Nvidia, ARM?) it could be just what we need to make the hardware markets exciting again.

and fanboys, before you argue about team Red vs Green, consider this: even if we're to say AMD is on even footing with Nvidia, Samsung's advanced fabs and leverage over key components in manufacturing (think NAND chips, purchasing power for raw materials, ability to strong arm TSMC) would give AMD the edge it needs to churn out a few real winners

 

[g-unit1111]

I'd be rooting for this, an AMD with Samsung's wallet and fabrication capabilities would give all the current big players some serious competition (Intel, Nvidia, ARM?) it could be just what we need to make the hardware markets exciting again.

and fanboys, before you argue about team Red vs Green, consider this: even if we're to say AMD is on even footing with Nvidia, Samsung's advanced fabs and leverage over key components in manufacturing (think NAND chips, purchasing power for raw materials, ability to strong arm TSMC) would give AMD the edge it needs to churn out a few real winners

AMD hasn't had a new chipset since 990FX, which is now six years old. They need this in order to compete with Intel. I agree too that with Samsung's wallet they could develop an entirely new socket and chipset that would, maybe not so much revolutionize things, but at the least make a dent in Intel's near monopoly. They could also develop Windows 8 tablets that could give Intel Atom tablets a run for their money.

 

[Assorted Colour Pushpins]

3dFX should buy 'em! ^_^

 

[SessouXFX]

I'd still like to see IBM take on AMD...but the likelihood of that happening would be akin to lambs sleeping with lions. IBM sees itself as a purely Business sector, Entertainment be damned. And it's worked for them. They don't have to be in a constant race to the top, they have their own niche that they excel at. And every business respects them for who they are.

And despite all of this, I'd still like to see IBM step up into the home computing/entertainment sector. I still think they'd give Intel absolute hell, because the battle of War Chests would no longer be an absolute for Intel alone.

 

[legokangpalla]

Samsung is definitely a good match. AMD's decline started off with several things and one of them was the belated releases due to the foundary problems. Samsung owns capable fabs.
However, AMD for a long time did not have the resources for R&Ds, their desktop x86 cpus are outdated and not very profitable. On top of that, I believe they are still suffering from the side effects of ATI acquisition.
I honestly do not think Samsung's acquisition of AMD will go well. Desktop x86 market is decreasing, R&D is far behind the competitor, and Samsung isn't doing all that hot right now with decreased sales and Kun-Hee, the CEO of Samsung is pretty much bed-ridden.