Papermaster new CTO of AMD

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=c...2277&Itemid=30



Here is the real reason Papermaster left Apple:



http://www.amd.com/us/aboutamd/corpo...permaster.aspx



He wanted a position they weren't able to give him.



Now that he's CTO of AMD I'll be truly interested in how relationships between Apple and AMD evolve.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    backtomacbacktomac Posts: 4,579member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=c...2277&Itemid=30



    Here is the real reason Papermaster left Apple:



    http://www.amd.com/us/aboutamd/corpo...permaster.aspx



    He wanted a position they weren't able to give him.



    Now that he's CTO of AMD I'll be truly interested in how relationships between Apple and AMD evolve.



    Do you think it matters? AMD really have no compelling products for Apple to use. When Ivy Bridge is released what will AMD have to offer?



    If I were Papermaster, I'd rent in Sunnyvale.
  • Reply 2 of 11
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,390moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    He wanted a position they weren't able to give him.



    I doubt that was the reason. Why would he take on the job at Apple if they offered him a role he didn't want?



    We probably won't get the full truth behind it but the following article seems genuine:



    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...159585144.html



    Bob Mansfield apparently didn't have confidence he could meet the role, the article notes he lacked creativity (not surprising coming from IBM), preferred to delegate than to work and fell on the wrong side of Steve. His role has subsequently been taken over by Mansfield.



    As to what the move to AMD means, I don't think it would be wise for an employee to wage a personal vendetta against a major partner.
  • Reply 3 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by backtomac View Post


    Do you think it matters? AMD really have no compelling products for Apple to use. When Ivy Bridge is released what will AMD have to offer?



    If I were Papermaster, I'd rent in Sunnyvale.



    Spare me. Hate to break it to you, but Bulldozer test results for Multi-threaded, multi-core apps is already nip n' tuck with Xeons and the next revisions that come out, along with Microsoft fixing their OS Scheduler will have them either even or ahead of Ivy.



    AMD has moved and Intel is moving to LLVM/Clang. Even LLVM/Clang is being used by 3rd parties in Visual Studio.



    Intel blew it's shot at getting the embedded contract from Apple. If they don't watch it they'll lose the Desktop/Workstation exclusivity.



    Intel's work on OpenCL is far behind AMD and Apple. With each APU advancement by AMD the more urgent the need from Intel to come up with their own solution.



    Of course, AMD has bet the farm on it and is putting all their R&D Patent research into it.



    Apple could break Intel's back if they bought AMD.
  • Reply 4 of 11
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    Spare me. Hate to break it to you, but Bulldozer test results for Multi-threaded, multi-core apps is already nip n' tuck with Xeons and the next revisions that come out, along with Microsoft fixing their OS Scheduler will have them either even or ahead of Ivy.



    Bulldozer has its weak points but it really is extremely competitive with Intesl current offerings. The architecture does mean that some aps don't benefit as much but hey that happens with every processor.

    Quote:

    AMD has moved and Intel is moving to LLVM/Clang. Even LLVM/Clang is being used by 3rd parties in Visual Studio.



    LLVM/CLANG is one of Apples best moves ever. As a side note I doubt many compilers are optimizing for Bulldozer yet. People don't seem to realize that Bulldozer is a brand new architecture thus will only get better.

    Quote:

    Intel blew it's shot at getting the embedded contract from Apple. If they don't watch it they'll lose the Desktop/Workstation exclusivity.



    I'm bummed that Apple hasn't been more aggressive here. Fusion would be an excellent product for the Mini. Especially so when the Bulldozer variant comes out.



    Right now though AMDs problem is execution. They need to deliver volume and have had issues doing so.

    Quote:

    Intel's work on OpenCL is far behind AMD and Apple. With each APU advancement by AMD the more urgent the need from Intel to come up with their own solution.



    Of course, AMD has bet the farm on it and is putting all their R&D Patent research into it.



    Apple could break Intel's back if they bought AMD.



    Well I don't think they would break Intels back. For one I wouldn't expect a 100% switch as Intel still has market leading processors. What they could do is to push Intel on the GPU and OpenCL front.
  • Reply 5 of 11
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,431member
    The real advantage of AMD is their APU



    Apple could leverage AMD nicely in the low end and maybe even the high end with Bulldozer's successor Piledriver



    At any rate it's good to see Papermaster back in a solid position. We'll see if AMD can recapture some lost ground. We all need a competitive landscape for affordably priced microprocessors.
  • Reply 6 of 11
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post


    The real advantage of AMD is their APU



    It is very significant and AMD is doing well with their Fusion processors. Hopefully by next year they will have a Fusion processor with the next revision to Bulldoxer built in.

    Quote:

    Apple could leverage AMD nicely in the low end and maybe even the high end with Bulldozer's successor Piledriver



    Would have made an excellent Mini.

    Quote:

    At any rate it's good to see Papermaster back in a solid position. We'll see if AMD can recapture some lost ground. We all need a competitive landscape for affordably priced microprocessors.



    I'm not sure if he has what it takes.
  • Reply 7 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    Spare me. Hate to break it to you, but Bulldozer test results for Multi-threaded, multi-core apps is already nip n' tuck with Xeons and the next revisions that come out, along with Microsoft fixing their OS Scheduler will have them either even or ahead of Ivy......



    Maybe BD ought be competitive with what is currently offered by Intel.



    Sorry but BD is a turd. It smells like a turd and will sell like a turd. It would be great if AMD could return to the days when *they* wiped the floor with Intel products but that just isn't the case. Hoping it was so doesn't make it true.



    And Apple would be out of their mind to buy AMD. Their products are truly a poor match for where Apple are and will be in the future.
  • Reply 8 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=c...2277&Itemid=30



    Here is the real reason Papermaster left Apple:



    http://www.amd.com/us/aboutamd/corpo...permaster.aspx



    He wanted a position they weren't able to give him.



    Now that he's CTO of AMD I'll be truly interested in how relationships between Apple and AMD evolve.



    I'm not sure he can do much good for AMD.



    Their Fusion idea is great but Intel has the marketing, monopoly and what else to hold firm. ATI dedicated GPU cards are probably less and less needed. AMD, like Intel, has almost no play in the mobile/tablet space.



    Global Foundries has had fabbing issues, hampering AMD.



    Still, AMD Fusion might be just nice for post-Intel, pre-ARM MacBook Airs.
  • Reply 9 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post


    Right now though AMDs problem is execution. They need to deliver volume and have had issues doing so.



    A critical and tragic weakness.
  • Reply 10 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post


    Global Foundries has had fabbing issues, hampering AMD.



    Could Apple's money and influence fix AMD's fab and schedule problems?
  • Reply 11 of 11
    backtomacbacktomac Posts: 4,579member
    Sadly it appears that AMD doesn't feel that it can compete with Intel any longer.



    Its starting to look like a one horse race. That's not good for consumers in the long run but that's the reality of the matter.
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