This story is confusing, does this mean that AMD is now producing
Efficeon processors? Or just marketing them? They're calling them "AMD
Efficeon" so maybe AMD is producing them now?

Yousuf Khan

"SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) -- Shares of chip makers Advanced Micro Devices
Inc. and Transmeta Corp. moved up in after-hours trading Monday after
the two companies announced a deal for AMD to supply and market a
recently unveiled, specialized version of the Efficeon microprocessor in
emerging markets.

Transmeta shares added 14 cents, or nearly 9 percent, to $1.73 in
after-hours trading. AMD moved up 13 cents to $29.19 in the extended
session.

Transmeta designed the AMD Efficeon microprocessor to work with FlexGo,
the Microsoft technology that enables pay-as-you-go and subscription
computing, the companies said.

FlexGo will launch in Mexico, China, India and Russia within the next
three months.

Financial details were not disclosed."
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060605/amd_t...over.html?.v=1

On Mon, 05 Jun 2006 18:48:46 -0400, Yousuf Khan <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>This story is confusing, does this mean that AMD is now producing
>Efficeon processors? Or just marketing them? They're calling them "AMD
>Efficeon" so maybe AMD is producing them now?
>
> Yousuf Khan

"Supply" could imply AMD will be producing them.
Perhaps these are fab-fillers?

daytripper wrote:
> "Supply" could imply AMD will be producing them.
> Perhaps these are fab-fillers?

You'd think that's the last thing they can afford to do? I thought they
needed every wafer they could get for their own production?

However, they did say it's for use with the Microsoft Flex-Go program,
and perhaps Geode at 500Mhz isn't fast enough to run Windows XP?

Yousuf Khan

"Yousuf Khan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:4484dc9a$(E-Mail Removed)...
> daytripper wrote:
>> "Supply" could imply AMD will be producing them. Perhaps these are
>> fab-fillers?
>
> You'd think that's the last thing they can afford to do? I thought they
> needed every wafer they could get for their own production?
>
> However, they did say it's for use with the Microsoft Flex-Go program,
> and perhaps Geode at 500Mhz isn't fast enough to run Windows XP?
>
> Yousuf Khan

Perhaps they have older fab capacity at 200mm/130 nm or 90 nm? So they
migrate the opterons to 65 and build this for a couple years with the 90
nm capacity.

Del Cecchi wrote:
> Perhaps they have older fab capacity at 200mm/130 nm or 90 nm? So they
> migrate the opterons to 65 and build this for a couple years with the 90
> nm capacity.

That's certainly a possibility. The Efficeon processor die is supposed
to be a stingy 65 mm^2, which works out to 440 dies per 200 mm wafer.
But I don't know at what node that die size was obtained from; was
Efficeon ever produced at 90 nm, or was it just produced at 130 nm? If
it was at 130 nm, then some work needs to be done to fab it at 90 nm.
And even if was done previously at 90 nm, can it be done on a SOI process?

Also some of the newer stories are starting to make it sound like AMD is
just marketing the chip, and nothing else.

ITworld.com - AMD to resell Transmeta chip for pay-as-you-go PCs
""For the first time, Transmeta and the Efficeon technology will have
the brand and power and reach of AMD," said Art Swift, president and
chief executive officer of Transmeta. "[Our goal is] to reach as many
consumers in the world as possible in emerging markets.""
http://www.itworld.com/Comp/1986/060606amdtransmeta/

On Mon, 05 Jun 2006 20:13:46 -0400, daytripper
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On Mon, 05 Jun 2006 18:48:46 -0400, Yousuf Khan <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>This story is confusing, does this mean that AMD is now producing
>>Efficeon processors? Or just marketing them? They're calling them "AMD
>>Efficeon" so maybe AMD is producing them now?
>>
>"Supply" could imply AMD will be producing them.
>Perhaps these are fab-fillers?

My take on this is that it's more a question of AMD marketing the chip
and using their distribution channel. I suspect that the chips are
still going to be designed by Transmeta and manufactured by whoever
fabs the Transmeta chips (IBM? TSMC?). I could be wrong, but it looks
to me to be more a question of outsourcing marketing and distribution
to foreign markets where Transmeta maybe doesn't have/want much of a
permanent presence of their own.

-------------
Tony Hill
hilla <underscore> 20 <at> yahoo <dot> ca

> My take on this is that it's more a question of AMD marketing the chip
> and using their distribution channel. I suspect that the chips are
> still going to be designed by Transmeta and manufactured by whoever
> fabs the Transmeta chips (IBM? TSMC?). I could be wrong, but it looks
> to me to be more a question of outsourcing marketing and distribution
> to foreign markets where Transmeta maybe doesn't have/want much of a
> permanent presence of their own.

I think you're right. AFAIK, Transmeta uses Fujitsu for their fab. I
don't really imagine them wanting to port to AMD's process unless it's
really worth it.

Quite frankly, TMTA barely does any chip business...they are basically
a circuit consulting house now. However, it looks like they believe
this may change, and perhaps it will.

I'll be damned if I'd ever recommend to anyone to buy anything on a pay
per use basis though. I've used cell phones in africa, and they are a
rip off. This 'flex go' PC sounds somewhat predatory...like pawn
shops, preying on the folks who cannot afford the alternatives.

There are plenty alternatives, like refurbishing older PCs and instead
of dropping them in Chinese rivers, using them for something
productive.

DK

David Kanter wrote:
> There are plenty alternatives, like refurbishing older PCs and instead
> of dropping them in Chinese rivers, using them for something
> productive.

I don't think even refurbished older PCs are cheap enough for these
price points. And even after that, who's going to pay for the Microsoft
operating system? At least without pirating it? Whereas Linux was the
only option until now (in a legitimate fashion), this gives people
access to Microsoft.

Yousuf Khan


--
There is no failure, only delayed success

On Sun, 11 Jun 2006 16:00:21 -0400, Yousuf Khan wrote:

> David Kanter wrote:
>> There are plenty alternatives, like refurbishing older PCs and instead
>> of dropping them in Chinese rivers, using them for something
>> productive.
>
> I don't think even refurbished older PCs are cheap enough for these
> price points. And even after that, who's going to pay for the Microsoft
> operating system? At least without pirating it? Whereas Linux was the
> only option until now (in a legitimate fashion), this gives people
> access to Microsoft.

The refurbished PC *has* a M$ license. I know of at least one group that
puts these things back together to give to diabled veterans. Tracking
licenses is an interesting problem though. ...but it's going to be hard
for Billy to prove a system didn't have a Win_license of some sort.

--
Keith

In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips Yousuf Khan <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> I don't think even refurbished older PCs are cheap enough for these
> price points. And even after that, who's going to pay for the Microsoft
> operating system? At least without pirating it? Whereas Linux was the
> only option until now (in a legitimate fashion), this gives people
> access to Microsoft.

Well, that and the "Basic Edition" Microsoft licenses. Not to mention the
fact that for one big market in the third world - internet cafes - having to
reimage machines every 30 days to get around activation is hardly an
imposition.

--
Nate Edel http://www.cubiclehermit.com/

"What's the use of yearning for Elysian Fields when you know you can't get
'em, and would only let 'em out on building leases if you had 'em?" (WSG)