Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) isn’t for sale; however, the chip maker will listen to interesting proposals, its chief executive said when asked about Oracle’s recent interest in the sector, reports “Reuters” (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69525920101006?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtechnologyNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Technology%29&utm_content=Google+Reader).
“AMD is not for sale, but we are happy to listen to any proposal which is in the interest to our shareholders,” CEO Dirk Meyer told an industry conference in Barcelona on Wednesday.
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said last month his company is eyeing more acquisitions to bolster its technology and that a microchip company could be a good fit. There have also been rumors that Apple might be interested in purchasing AMD, though I’m dubious about this.
In April there were rumors that Apple and AMD execs are talking about the former using the chips of the latter in upcoming products. Rob Enderle, principal analyst with the Enderle Group, even said there’s a slim chance that something more could be in the works.
Even though there’s a team within Intel is dedicated solely to Apple, if Apple did decide to switch, the AMD microprocessors might be more suitable for Apple since the chips favor graphics over central processing units, he told “MacNewsWorld” (http://www.macnewsworld.com/rsstory/69816.html?wlc=1271794909).
If Apple were to dump Intel, it might actually be in the market to buy AMD, Enderle suggested. Apple is already making its own processor for the iPad, he pointed out, and it might be looking for more vertical integration. “AMD is relatively cheap, and Apple could afford to buy it,” Enderle told “MacNewsWorld.”
— Dennis Sellers
