Tag Archives: amd

Tesla Partner Nvidia, Samsung Call Truce On Mobile-Chip Lawsuits

Tesla Motors ( TSLA ) partner Nvidia ( NVDA ) and Samsung called a cease-fire Monday on a nearly two-year battle over their mobile tech patents, the companies said in a joint statement hours before a decision was due in Samsung’s suit against Nvidia. Under the settlement, Nvidia and Samsung will license “a small number of patents by each company to each other,” but won’t allow for “broad cross-licensing of patents or other compensation,” they said. Nvidia fired the first shot in late 2014, claiming Samsung and Apple ( AAPL ) supplier Qualcomm ( QCOM ) had violated its patents on graphics processing chips. Samsung retaliated with a lawsuit that alleged Nvidia had violated its patents. Both sought to have some rival components banned from sale in the U.S. In December, a judge upheld an earlier ruling that Samsung and Qualcomm had not violated Nvidia’s patents. Monday’s decision would have wrapped Samsung’s case. In afternoon trading on the stock market today , Nvidia stock was up more than 1%, near 36. Shares are on a nearly three-month run, up 42% since a Feb. 11 bottom this year, likely helped along by the release of the Facebook ( FB ) Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset. The Oculus recommends use of devices that have graphics chips — graphics processing units — from Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ).

Intel’s Next Threat: AMD Chinese Deal May Plunder Server Market

Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) is making a play for Intel ’s ( INTC ) Chinese server market — and maybe “Super 7” clients Alibaba ( BABA ), Baidu ( BIDU ) and Tencent ( TCEHY ) — as the No. 1 chipmaker prepares for 12,000 layoffs, MKM analyst Ian Ing suggested Friday. Late Thursday, during AMD’s Q1 earnings call, AMD CEO Lisa Su announced a $293 million joint venture with China’s Tianjin Haiguang Advanced Technology Investment to “help gain share in the fastest-growing region of the server market.” Su might as well have shouted a battle cry. This week, Intel announced a 12,000-layoff restructuring plan, cutting about 11% of its workforce, to “intensify” investments in the Internet of Things, memory and data centers. Intel’s Q1 data center sales rose 9% year over year, vs. 7% for the company overall. AMD’s Chinese joint venture is “(the) best challenge yet to Intel’s server dominance,” MKM analyst Ian Ing wrote in a research report. Last year, Chinese officials announced a plan to curb reliance on foreign chips. Partnering in China gives AMD “access to design and IP resources that are tailored to the China market and significant local field sales and support resources to help win designs at a wide range of customers,” Ing wrote. Intel’s turn from PC reliance — 55% of its total sales in Q1 — could further boost AMD, which might scoop some PC market share, Ing wrote as he upgraded AMD stock to buy from neutral but maintained his price target of 4. For Q1, a 13-week quarter, AMD reported $832 million in sales, down 19% year over year, and a per-share loss ex items of 12 cents vs. a 13-cent loss in the year-earlier quarter. Both metrics topped the consensus of 27 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters for $818.2 million and a 13-cent per-share loss. The consensus’ Q2 sales guidance, calling for a 15% sequential hike, implies $956 million, which would be up 2%. The consensus saw $889 million, Rosenblatt Securities analyst Kinngai Chan noted in a report. AMD stock jump 52% Friday, to 3.99, a 19-month high. Intel stock fell 1%; AMD’s graphics chips rival Nvidia ( NVDA ), a Tesla Motors ( TSLA ) partner, fell a fraction.

Nvidia Targets ‘Deep Learning’ As ‘Big Deal,’ Says CEO At GPU Event

SAN JOSE, Calif. — As  Nvidia ( NVDA ) CEO Jen-Hsun Huang stood gazing at the Martian surface — a virtual reality simulation, of course — he talked about a future for the company that investors should look forward to. Or so he says. At the company’s annual GPU Technology Conference, which started here Tuesday, Huang in the opening keynote address told attendees that Nvidia’s focus will be even more centered around its core GPU (graphics processing unit) technology. GPUs provide graphics on computers, in video games and in various other applications. Nvidia competes mostly with Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) in this field, but No. 1 chipmaker Intel ( INTC ) is among other rivals. Huang said the company’s key markets will be virtual reality, autonomous cars and artificial intelligence, including chips for drones and deep learning. “Deep learning is no longer just an app, not just a field,” Huang said.”We think this is so important, we think this is going to utterly change computing. We think it’s a big deal.” He described such applications as algorithms plus massive amounts of data and computing power. Nvidia stock was up a fraction, near 36, in afternoon trading on the stock market today . The company has the highest possible IBD Composite Rating of 99, meaning it’s performing among the top 1% of all stocks in such metrics as sales and earnings growth, and stock performance. Nvidia stock broke out of a cup-with-handle base at 33.16 on March 16 and is now up 8.5%, so it’s a bit extended.