This article was reprinted with permission from Superpower.com.
A few days ago there was a processor codenamed Dhyana that appeared in the Linux kernel code. This processor was considered to be the product of AMD's cooperation with China Haiguang Investment Group in 2016. The latter spent 293 million US dollars to acquire the AMD Zen processor. Authorization, and facts also prove that Dhyana (Dhyana) processor and AMD's Zen processor has a deep root.
In this cooperation, AMD and THATIC established two joint ventures. The most important one is AMD Holdings, which is 51%. This guarantees AMD's control over domestically produced X86 processors, while China cannot intervene. Zen kernel can only do peripheral chip work.
For AMD X86 processor architecture Chinese companies authorized to do, less than the previous reports, Italy bitchips website has given a more detailed information on the mode of cooperation with AMD sea of light:
· AMD and THATIC Haiguang established a total of two joint venture companies - Chengdu Haiguang Microelectronics (CHMT), AMD shares 51%, and the other is Chengdu Haiguang Integrated Circuit Design Corporation (CHICD), AMD shares 30%, can be seen This company is led by the Chinese side.
· According to the agreement, AMD will provide China with the penultimate version of the Zen IP core, so that China has room for improvement.
CHMT will be responsible for the customization of the Zen processor, while Chinese-controlled CHICD will customize the other parts of the SoC and its marketing efforts based on customer needs.
Seeing here, everyone should understand how AMD designed the structure of the joint venture company. 51% of AMD's holding companies are responsible for the customization of Zen processors, while the Chinese companies are only doing peripheral chip customization and marketing, and AMD still Firmly control the design of the Zen processor.
Bitchips express this licensing model is somewhat similar to ARM's business strategy, ARM processor core licensed to customers, customers to use their own custom SoC processor, but AMD, China's process of cooperation, the Chinese side is unable to control their own core , bitchips represents AMD if I did, CEO Lisa Su undoubtedly suicide.
The joint venture between the two companies expects to launch the first CPU for the server market in early 2019. The architecture should be similar to the first-generation EPYC, but there may be some major changes.
This also means that AMD will continue to sell EPYC-generation processors in the future. Even if it is authorized by the second generation of EPYC in the future, it will also be in the form of licensing fees.
Bitchips that this cooperation model for AMD, China is a win-win, AMD by the retiring generation Zen architecture made money, the Chinese side can get a similar low-cost Intel CPU processor and there is no back door, but it would for Intel Not a good thing, they will lose important server chip market share.
