I understand your feelings about Samsung, but Apple and Samsung have a pretty deep and long relationship that might not be broken by recent events. In fact, I would expect them to continue doing lots of business but change the terms of engagement. I'm pretty sure Sumsung would like to continue fabing Ax chips in Austin, they have about $7Bn invested in the fab capacity used for these products and won't find other customers that easy.
I'm very sure Samsung wants to continue to do business with Apple, but when your intellectual property is left for others to see and they use that against you, I'm sure Apple is looking for ways to not allow that to happen. This would be different than simply buying screens from them.
I'm very sure Samsung wants to continue to do business with Apple, but when your intellectual property is left for others to see and they use that against you, I'm sure Apple is looking for ways to not allow that to happen. This would be different than simply buying screens from them.
Apple may simply be in a position that they need two suppliers to keep up. Before things really started to ramp up for Apple I understood that they where using 80% of Samsungs capacity.
As for IP, there is nothing to indicate that Apple has lost any to the competition. At least not processor wise. One has to remember that Apple bought Intrinsity after Intrinsity worked with Samsung to improve their ARM processors. Most likely Samsung still holds licenses to Intrinsity's tech. Seriously if Samsung was stealing processor IP from Apple their chips wouldn't be diverging in design.
Apple may simply be in a position that they need two suppliers to keep up. Before things really started to ramp up for Apple I understood that they where using 80% of Samsungs capacity.
As for IP, there is nothing to indicate that Apple has lost any to the competition. At least not processor wise. One has to remember that Apple bought Intrinsity after Intrinsity worked with Samsung to improve their ARM processors. Most likely Samsung still holds licenses to Intrinsity's tech. Seriously if Samsung was stealing processor IP from Apple their chips wouldn't be diverging in design.
Samsung, to my knowledge built a fab facility specifically for Apple for the ARM processors. Samsung uses, from what I've seen, older CPU design, or they use Qualcomm processors in a lot of their newer products.
Either way, Apple has been funding new fab plants with TSMC, if they are building others run by Apple themselves, it wouldn't surprise me, but I don't know if that's the case. They should just to cover themselves and have several sources.
As for IP, there is nothing to indicate that Apple has lost any to the competition. At least not processor wise. One has to remember that Apple bought Intrinsity after Intrinsity worked with Samsung to improve their ARM processors. Most likely Samsung still holds licenses to Intrinsity's tech. Seriously if Samsung was stealing processor IP from Apple their chips wouldn't be diverging in design.
If anything, the knowledge is flowing the other way.
Last Fall, Apple hired away Samsung's chief ARM designer, a guy with 16 years experience creating CPUs:
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xiao-zhi
I understand your feelings about Samsung, but Apple and Samsung have a pretty deep and long relationship that might not be broken by recent events. In fact, I would expect them to continue doing lots of business but change the terms of engagement. I'm pretty sure Sumsung would like to continue fabing Ax chips in Austin, they have about $7Bn invested in the fab capacity used for these products and won't find other customers that easy.
I'm very sure Samsung wants to continue to do business with Apple, but when your intellectual property is left for others to see and they use that against you, I'm sure Apple is looking for ways to not allow that to happen. This would be different than simply buying screens from them.
Apple may simply be in a position that they need two suppliers to keep up. Before things really started to ramp up for Apple I understood that they where using 80% of Samsungs capacity.
As for IP, there is nothing to indicate that Apple has lost any to the competition. At least not processor wise. One has to remember that Apple bought Intrinsity after Intrinsity worked with Samsung to improve their ARM processors. Most likely Samsung still holds licenses to Intrinsity's tech. Seriously if Samsung was stealing processor IP from Apple their chips wouldn't be diverging in design.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
Apple may simply be in a position that they need two suppliers to keep up. Before things really started to ramp up for Apple I understood that they where using 80% of Samsungs capacity.
As for IP, there is nothing to indicate that Apple has lost any to the competition. At least not processor wise. One has to remember that Apple bought Intrinsity after Intrinsity worked with Samsung to improve their ARM processors. Most likely Samsung still holds licenses to Intrinsity's tech. Seriously if Samsung was stealing processor IP from Apple their chips wouldn't be diverging in design.
Samsung, to my knowledge built a fab facility specifically for Apple for the ARM processors. Samsung uses, from what I've seen, older CPU design, or they use Qualcomm processors in a lot of their newer products.
Either way, Apple has been funding new fab plants with TSMC, if they are building others run by Apple themselves, it wouldn't surprise me, but I don't know if that's the case. They should just to cover themselves and have several sources.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
As for IP, there is nothing to indicate that Apple has lost any to the competition. At least not processor wise. One has to remember that Apple bought Intrinsity after Intrinsity worked with Samsung to improve their ARM processors. Most likely Samsung still holds licenses to Intrinsity's tech. Seriously if Samsung was stealing processor IP from Apple their chips wouldn't be diverging in design.
If anything, the knowledge is flowing the other way.
Last Fall, Apple hired away Samsung's chief ARM designer, a guy with 16 years experience creating CPUs:
http://www.zdnet.com/apple-hires-samsung-amd-chip-veteran-7000005676/