Intel questions whether AMD will make ATI chips

[Alpine]

And zooms in on stable image platform


WITH THE AGREEMENT of the court in the antitrust case AMD started against Intel last year, a subpoena has been served on graphics firm ATI.


Apart from the financing of the ATI acquisition, Intel wants details of potential chip production at AMD fabs, as well as extensive details about the stable image platform that forms the plank of both the CPU manufacturers' corporate business.

As AMD said last week, the terms of the subpoena are sweeping, but its lawyers believe it falls outside the time limit, and AMD reserves the right to request its own subpoenas from other firms, if necessary.

The documents asked for by Intel cover the perod from January 1st 2004 to the date the subpoena was served, 18th of August last.

As expected, they relate to ATI's decision to be acquired by AMD, "including but not limited to thr transaction's strategic raionale, growth opportunities, and financial projections". Intel also subpoenas all documents presented to AMD and ATI shareholders and investors relating to the acquisition, and those that discuss or relate to the potential or actual effect of AMD's takeover in chipsets, graphics processor and microprocessors.

Interestingly, Intel want to see documents provided to ATI or any initiative by AMD to improve performance or competitively position against Intel's Stable Image Platform (SIP). Interestingly, because AMD has collaborated with fierce ATI competitor Nvidia to produce such a platform. It wants to see such documents from January 1st 2002 to now.

That includes information about problems ATI had implementing AMD's CSIP programme, and documents concerning AMD's ability to extend battery life in notebooks.

Intel also wants information on AMD's financing of the acquisition of ATI, including financing and cash reserves, as well as third parties involved in such discussions. And Intel wants to see all documents that relate to how an AMD-ATI acquisition would affect Intel. Also, interestingly, it wants to see that documents that might affect AMD's semiconductor manufacturing, "including, but not limited to, the manufacturing of any ATI designed products in AMD fabs".

The INQuirer