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Comment by bitmapbrother | Hacker News Reader

Apple should just buy AMD. It would only cost them about 15 Billion or so and they would get an x86 license. If they really want to control their own destiny this would be the way to go.

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IIRC AMD's cross-licensing deals with Intel over certain key patents are null and void if AMD is bought, which puts a real damper on the main reason anyone would consider purchasing the company.

I believe this is the agreement you're referring to and it looks like it applies even to a change in ownership of 50% of the company:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2488/000119312509236...

Does Apple even need to own a majority ownership to control the company? Couldn't they just purchase 49.9% of the company and set up the board of directors in their favor? With that much stake getting the company to do what you want it to do wouldn't be that difficult it seems.

Please. I buy AMD then Intel loses the 64 licensing rights which AMD owns.

That really sounds like a winning proposition for Apple, given that Intel's own 64-bit arches historically sucked.

> That really sounds like a winning proposition for Apple, given that Intel's own 64-bit arches historically sucked.

Yeah but for various reasons any usable amd64 CPU needs backwards compatibility with x86 - which, if Apple doesn't want to go the Fat Binary emulation approach again, requires that an Apple-bought AMD must achieve a licensing deal with Intel to maintain said compatibility.

Then again, Apple these days doesn't give a ... about BC anymore anyway, so they might as well go down that track and use only amd64.

That's true, but Intel has as much to lose as AMD if that cross-licensing deal is terminated. So I'd imagine that Intel would want to re-negotiate it with the new party, which is obviously a possibility.

You do realize that amd owns a lot of the x64 patents, not intel, right?

Yes, I do realize that. Which ought to have been clear from the use of the term 'cross-licensing', frankly.

From my understanding the x86 license is not transferable upon purchase.

I wonder about the other x86 licenses that have been out there in the past. Via still offers x86 apparently. It looks like Cyrix ended up with Texas Instruments. Transmeta looks messy. IBM used to make x86 chips as well.

And I wonder if any of this relevant to making modern x64 compatible cpus?

I believe the licensing deal would terminate if AMD is sold

You're correct. Here's AMD's statement:

>Advanced Micro Devices has clarified terms of the cross-license agreement with Intel Corp. on Thursday. As it appears, if either AMD or Intel change their control (i.e., gets acquired), the cross-license agreement between the two companies is automatically terminated for both parties.

Since AMD invented x64 this would leave Intel in quite a bind and the only solution would be to work with the new owner to reach an agreement.

Yeah, that would be a really, really dangerous agreement for Intel given the market cap of AMD and how it would gut Intel's CPU lineup. I would assume their would be one damn quick agreement after the fact.

Apple would have them by the plums at least for a little while.

IBM would also be interesting given POWER.

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