Is Google a candidate to buy AMD's CPU business?
Before people freak out and call me a rumor monger, I'm not suggesting this will happen. However, I am curious to hear your thoughts as to whether or not it would be feasible.
PCGames, the outlet that supposedly confirmed with an AMD spokesperson the Stadia CPU will be provided by Intel or VIA (really??) had this to say:
The fact that [Intel] can’t just immediately turn around and acknowledge its silicon presence in Stadia is strange, and I think we can count the complete reticence on anyone’s behalf to openly state that Intel is part of the service’s tech platform as utterly bizarre.
I can't agree more, it's utterly bizarre. So what is the motive? I tend to agree with posters who suggest that it may just be due to flexibility - that Google may intend to switch vendors in the near future. But I'm not sure that would be a reason to not acknowledge the current vendor.
So... Is it possible that Google is making a bid to purchase AMD's CPU business? If not, please explain your reasoning.
Posted Mar 23, 2019, 3:21 AM UTC · edited
Probably not that bizarre.
Intel's not hurting for demand so they probably wouldn't offer a discount, but Google's probably willing to buy their CPUs at whatever cost Intel was expecting.
No discount means Google has no reason to announce/promote their involvement. Intel's not a partner in that case but a vendor.
Google's not even using AMD CPUs, why would they buy the business now, years after AMD started the rise that they've already achieved?
Fair points. Thank you for weighing in. I would counter that there are probably plenty of examples of buyouts that happen well after the ideal purchase point due to letting the buyout candidate prove it's product mix. Less risk.
No way. If anything it would be the whole company or nothing. And over Intel's dead body.
I agree that buying the whole company would make the most sense. Just trying to determine if this would be a possible reason Google would remain strangely silent on the CPU front.
AMD will supply the CPU for Gen 2 and beyond Stadia servers is the most logical reason.
AMD is a Stadia hardware/ middleware/software partner, as it is with Sony and Microsoft with their consoles and cloud streaming ecosystems.
Intel is simply a CPU vendor for Gen i servers until EPYC 2 is available.
Just read your response again and I think you missed one of the reasons I'm even posing this question. I don't view that PCGames quote from a supposed AMD spokesperson as 100% confirmation that Google isn't using AMD. And one reason (albeit a long shot) they might choose not to call them AMD CPUs would be if they intend to own the CPUs themselves by launch time.
I haven't been following all this too closely but I thought I saw a comment that mentioned there'd been talk in their press release about hyperthreading. Hyperthreading is an Intel thing, so they most likely are using Intel.
The presentation did say hyperthreading. I agree that increases the likelihood of it being Intel, but this was a Google presentation, not an AMD one. AMD definitely would not have made that error.
Hyperthread Intel copyrighted by Intel. .
Do you really think Google is so utterly clueless they would use that term by mistake???????????????
The initial server CPUs will be supplied by Intel.