How did Intel leverage the acquisition of Altera? And why would it be different for AMD?
AMD + ATI didn't look totally smooth from the outside but the graphics cards are still with us and I'm using an APU as my desktop.
Xilinx is well ahead of Altera.
Xilinx already is extremely profitable in it's current markets already.
Xilinx and AMD provide extreme supply overlap, and greater bargaining position with TSMC.
AMD can leverage the IP much better within it's own products and vice versa.
The times of easy performance wins are gone. Accelerators are the future now.
Market is much better suited, software toolkits are better.
My guess is that AMD bought Xilinx either for fab capacity or for some underlying tech expertise that they needed.