This is supposed to be a done deal, according to SINA.com (hey, that's a familiar name): http://tech.sina.com.cn/it/2006-07-04/16001020773.shtml Google Translation
It looks like a good deal for them, but I don't like mergers that tip the balance of competition. It might hurt us in the long run if no newcomers rise from this. Interestingly, the newer graphics cards have more transistors than Intel or AMD chips. Nvidia was long rumored to make a bid into microprocessors so there might be more at stake on how they react to this merger.
Wow...not sure who your sources are but....wow. I'm NDA'd on both of these subjects and not clever enough to even take a chance at a cryptic message. I will say this, a company such as ATI offers AMD the ability to get one step closer to competing with Intel when it comes to total solutions. If one was to partner with a strategic 'direct to customer' company looking to gain share in the Value and Ultra Value spaces, being able to offer a bundle of componants could tip the scale a bit.
Probably too early to say for sure. If this does go down, things could go a number of ways, especially if Nvidia and/or Intel make big moves as well. It is probably bad if you're an Intel+ATI fan though. One possible plus is that both AMD and ATI will now be sharing resources. For example, while this may not happen (certainly not right away), ATI may be able to use some of the more advanced fabrication plants that AMD has rather than the ones they're using now. This would allow them to bring the cards to the market sooner. The ATI-AMD X28000+ XTXGPALMNOP graphics card might be ready for a mid-2007 launch rather than a late 2007/early 2008 launch.
Do you have a link for the Dell/AMD partnership? From my experience with both companies, Dell is so committed to Intel, they should move to Massachusetts to get married. The AMD rumor has been batted around for almost a decade, but nothing's ever come of it.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/26/dell-amd-partnership-is-supposedly-official/ I also read it on some other sources as well. I'll try to find it.
Too bad that their source is the Inquirer. I'd prefer a more trustworthy site. That said, I saw reports from other sites that seem to indicate something similar (not sure if they were saying it was official though). At the very least, Dell has already announced that they would be using Opterons in some of their high-end servers.
OK, now the deal is final. About time: http://today.reuters.com/business/n...Z_01_WEN1716_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESSPRO-ATI-DC.XML
