In 2016, via a sequence of joint ventures and created firms, AMD licensed the design of its first technology Zen x86 processors to be offered into China. The aim of this was two-fold: China wished a ‘home grown’ answer for high-performance x86 compute, and AMD on the time wanted a money injection. The end result of this net of companies was the Hygon Dhyana vary of processors, which ranged from industrial to server use. Due to the Zen 1 design on which it was primarily based, it has been assumed that the efficiency was in step with Ryzen 1000 and Naples EPYC, and no-one within the west has publicly examined the {hardware}. Thanks to a collaboration with our good friend Wendell Wilson over at YouTube channel Level1Techs, we now have the primary full assessment of the Hygon CPUs.
Let’s Start From The Beginning
There are two/three main producers of x86 processors: Intel, AMD, and Via/Centaur. Both Intel and AMD have been competing within the excessive efficiency compute house for a number of a long time, and the rationale there hasn’t been every other rivals is because of licensing. Due to patents surrounding the x86 structure, Intel doesn’t need anybody else coming in and treading on its market share dominance, and to complicate issues, it’s AMD’s model of 64-bit x86 that’s presently being utilized by all concerned. Intel and AMD are inextricably linked on this means. Meanwhile. Via/Centaur is alongside for the experience, with a really small market share principally in Asia, and a scarcity of a vanguard excessive efficiency competitor.
For those that haven’t been following AMD, the corporate has been via a lot of ups and downs. A big down was throughout its Bulldozer CPU structure years, the place prices have been excessive, efficiency wasn’t nice, and Intel pulled forward considerably in all areas: laptop computer, desktop, industrial, and enterprise. The design of Intel’s CPUs and its market dominance technique, mixed with the shortage of a vanguard aggressive product for AMD together with the acquisition of graphics IP firm ATI, almost bankrupted AMD. Through the management of the previous CEO, Rory Read, AMD grew to become secure, and beneath the auspices of present CEO Dr. Lisa Su, the corporate put heavy funding again into its x86 CPU design. At one level, AMD’s debt was increased than its tangible belongings, and the corporate needed to even promote its headquarters and lease the buildings again from the brand new homeowners to search out the funds to remain afloat.
Another factor of this ‘staying alive’ tactic was the sublicensing of AMD’s x86 IP, which in the end created the Hygon Dhyana x86 processors for China. Some folks will quote this as being a keystone for AMD staying alive, nevertheless it’s of a normal consensus that this sublicensing in the end secured AMD solely round $200m (till the US entity checklist ban) out of the unique $293m deal. At that point AMD was already making fast strides into the patron market with its Ryzen 1000-series processors, which provided eight cores with modestly aggressive efficiency whereas beating Intel on performance-per-dollar, giving AMD sufficient to reinvest in its key areas. The sublicensing in the end supplied AMD extra of a security internet, relying on the success of the primary technology Ryzen product portfolio.
AMD Does Due Diligence
Simply stating ‘AMD sublicensed the IP of one of its x86 designs’ sounds a bit farfetched on most days of the week. If both AMD or Intel believed that the chance to let others promote its CPU designs was worthwhile, how come it took till 2015/2016 to ever come to fruition? Part of this story covers that whereas there was clearly some cash in it for AMD right here, it didn’t fall foul of any Intel-AMD licensing agreements. And most significantly, it didn’t contravene any US legal guidelines relating to the export of…
