It Took 53 Years for AMD to Beat Intel. Here's Why. | WSJ 

Pretty outrageous they skipped out the 2000's when AMD had the best chips and intel paid OEMs like Dells $100Ms every year not to use AMD

The video missed one critical point. Intel bribed companies to not use AMD and made some modifications so that some software couldnt run better if it detected AMD chip.

Things I learned from this video: CPU pins = transistors Power capacitors = "the core"

Plus inventing* 64-bit architecture, plus building the first multi-core CPUs... AMD hasn't simply been "copying and playing catch-up for 53 years" *Thanks to others who pointed out that Intel 64-bit Itanium was released first. They didn't "invent" 64-bit computing, but they brought an x86 compatible 64-bit architecture to market and popularized it.

Lisa Su gets a lot of glory, and while it's pretty much deserved, I think that Rory Read deserves more credit than is generally given for keeping AMD afloat until the turnaround tech was ready. I hope he got enough stock and/or options to compensate for having to take the public hits that he did.

A documentary about Nvidia's ultra dominant market position and anticonsumer market practices would be equally interesting.

Because Intel played dirty like -Paying dell and all OEM to not use AMD -Bribing companies -Suing AMD at every step Pinnacle of Intel innovation

>53 years My brothers in christ What about the 2000s? What about x86-64? What about the anti-competitive lawsuits?

AMD is the reason Intel stopped selling dual core CPUs in 2022. See, they come up with 10 core i3 cpu ;) Also, AMD is the reason they come up with Arc GPUs. AMD is forcing Intel to change its status quo of selling underpowered CPUs and GPUs (Intel uhd series), and charging hefty sum for any performance upgrade.

Can't forget acquisition of ATI which they have translated into console graphics as well as the Xilinx acquisition. They have taken multiple approaches to expanding business, narrowing it to just chiplets is an oversight.

The switch to TSMC did play a role in their success. If they had stuck to Global Foundries, no way they could've beaten intel.

I wish people would stop equating market cap as some kind of indicator of success. It's not. All it means is that some investors think the company has a chance to grow and are willing to make a gamble. e.g. TESLA with

AMD beat Intel like 20 years ago, then fall of from grace, now they are even, but AMD is fabless and Intel does have fabs, which is both and asset and a liability

I knew a under 7 min video covering the history between these 2 companies would miss a ton of stuff.

I'm a simple man. I look at benchmark tests, price, and then choose AMD.

No mention of AMD's x64 architecture?

What about Intel bribery to BIllgates to not launch 64 bit OS until Intel have a Amd64 instruction set?

LISA SU is a top tier CEO, steered AMD all the way to the TOP, CPUs are now much much better because of RYZEN

I was sure last year would end badly for me but I think BNB44X is spot on with what they do and how they do it. Can't say for how long it's going to work and for sure it is overyhped right now but even for half a year or something it would be smart to ride the wave and then jump away eventually but the thing is why this is smart right now is because it's so cheap, won't ever find a better entry than now

A really short sighted view of the Intel/AMD competition. AMD traditionally lagged Intel in process, but at the end of the last century, AMD design lapped Intel and Intel was forced to drop their attempts to lead in processor design, Itanium, and follow AMD's design instead. At the same time, AMD lapped Intel in terms of multicore design. AMD managed to blow their lead of intel yet again, but made the essential move to farm out their fab operations -- just as most of the industry did. The result was they caught up to and passed Intel in process thanks to the Asian fabs. Intel hasn't regained their lead in process, and may never. What occurred was the evening of the desktop CPU market between Intel and AMD, but that market is (and has been) slowly declining vs. non-desktop environment dominated by ARM architectures, which neither Intel nor AMD make.

Yeah, man. Whoever thought of making those chiplets.. just pure genius. Cost-saving and fast AF.

Energy efficiency is the AMDs greatest achievement

AMD forced intel to try again with the 12th gen chips. Even now, a year later they are still incredible value for the money.

The current CPU market looks great, competitive and full of amazing bang for bucks! Even though I'm an intel user, i thank AMD for bringing competition into the market and making these processors so budget friendly! Thank you!

This video is just factually incorrect on so many levels it's insane.

A bit shallow reporting. There were other key moments that tarnished Intel reputation. The failure of the 4g/5g wireless chip for Apple, for example, which ended the whole Intel wireless division, not to mention the fact that Apple built their own ARM-base chip, which lost Intel a big customer. AMD fame of late is well deserved in my opinion. I have a surface laptop that runs on AMD. It is quiet, never gets hot, even on heavy tasks, has a brilliant integrated graphics card, I love it.

Lisa Su was the best thing ever happened to AMD.

This is one of the most inaccurate depictions of how CPUs are structured I've heard listened to.

It isn't cores but the smart phone driving ex-intel foundries to overtake and hold process node leadership. Lisa su wouldn't have succeeded without amd having access to cutting edge tsmc manufacturing. Intel was stuck at 10-14nm for too long. Amd has always had competitive cpu designs.

Intel’s new CEO is making an aggressive and risky path to turn Intel around, and in 10 years Intel will probably be making AMD’s and NVIDIA’s chips as part of its foundry business

They missed a lot of info, probably to try and keep it short. AMD purchase of ATI and then the spinoff of GlobalFoundries, all the cut costs and try to keep pace with Intel's dirty tactics. I have always been a fan of AMD and I new that their roadmap would pay off, I purchased AMD stock a long time ago when it was worth just a few dollars, and look at it now, only wish I would have bought more, I could be retired.

>AMD during the early-2000's: Completely roflstomp Intel left right and center >Intel: *violates anti-trust laws multiple times over to gain an unfair advantage* >WSJ: "It took 53 years for AMD to beat Intel"

AMD dominated Intel in the early 2000's. The Athlon XP 2500+ and Athlon 64 bit 3200+ come to mind

Lisa Su saying "I hope you guys have your money ready" was hilarious 😂

Piece failed to mention that AMD is also a maker of GPU's comparable to Nvidia, that Intel is just now getting into with it's ARC series. Also mentioned AMD's innovation, but the key in competitiveness was smaller nanometer design, developed and manufactured by Taiwan Semi

Dell, one of Intel's largest customers, just dropped their server processors for AMD's equivalent. AMD will go past Intel soon, if they're not already ahead.

AMD did what a company should do. Intel became lenient and managers became greedy

I feel old hearing the intel inside tune. I would assume a lot of people wouldn’t know what that signifies anymore 😢

I don't know if this video was poorly researched or just heavily oversimplified, but half of the information in this video is incomplete or bordering on incorrect.

I think the competition is great since it furthers innovation and affordability.

The Athlon, Athlon XP, Athlon 64, and Athlon 64 X2 all beat Intel in raw performance per clock. I'm not buying this 53 year thing.

TSMC is one of the key reasons why everybody, but Intel, is winning. One of the best decisions AMD made was to branch out Global Foundries and move away from the Fabs.

ahh what about the itanium misstep where amd released the first consumer 64 bit processor and even created the 64 bit instruction set that intel had too and still too this day licensed from amd

Intel had the first 64-but processor, however the instruction architecture wasn't compatible with x86, so AMD created one which was.

AMD's stock is way overvalued, and Intel's is way undervalued, Wall Street is overlooking the effect retail investors have on hype stocks like AMD, Nvidia, and Tesla. Don't get me wrong they are all good companies. However you can still overpay for them, and anyone buying AMD, Nvidia, or Tesla right now is overpaying. As soon as everyone starts talking like they are going out of business, that's when you buy. Intel did more revenue last year than AMD and Nvidia combined just so everyone keeps things in perspective.

Intel dominated the CPU market from the late 2000's to mid 2010's. They got arrogant and gave users little performance increases and changed expensive prices. Consumers were fed up, and even big partners like Apple abandoned Intel. Intel's fall is their fault.

They took 53 years? When they invented the 64-bit architecture and multi-core computing?

Does AMD work well with drawing software/3D things? Never tried their CPUs or GPUs but seems compelling

Superb summary and presentation.

Intel has been greedy, that's their main drawback. However they did do one thing right, they have their own factories. And they're right, that will be the key factor, because no matter how good AMD does, at the end of the day their costs come down to production, and if they don't have their own factories, production will always cost more for them. Side note, this video missed that both intel's engineers and AMD's engineers came from the same company before they even started their own companies.

Well put together video story. I'm a computer geek and I appreciate how you explained the CPU and what it does in layman terms that anyone can get. Kudos to you.

Thanks for the content

Good article thank you

2:07 you make this sound soooooo much easier than it is. New foundries in Europe and the US will offer so many new opportunities for designers like apple tesla etc. ( let's see if india makes it)

this bring back memories. my first gaming pc was with ryzen 1st gen

This is interesting..thanks wsj..

I owned FX 8320E , then i5-7600K, then Ryzen 1600 , then Ryzen 2700 , and now im on m1 MacBook Air :)))

Intel can't make chip comparable to tsmc

This video is not true at all. They were not just Copy cats. AMD was licensed by Intel to manufacture its x86 chips to sell to vendors. Dell started off with PC's Limited by using AMD chips that were conservatively clocked at 4 MHz and overclocked them much higher gaining market share. AMD later went on to use the same licensed instruction set implementing different CPU's. AMD surpassed Intel breaking the GHz barrier around 2000 with the Athlon chip. Intel played dirty by blocking other OEM's from manufacturing products with AMD chips to the point that Asus hid its first Athlon motherboard and sold it in a plain brown box. Intel never paid a price for this. For the next few years AMD had a chance of unseating Intel as intel produced a lackluster Pentium 4 architecture that had lower performance and higher clock speed. But AMD never really gained market share more than 20%, and Intel used its clout and monopoly to block AMD from the market place. AMD's big opportunity came when Intel tried to change its architecture from x86 to Itanium, which failed, AMD improved the x86 architecture to 64 bit and called it AMD64. Bill Gates made a deal to help AMD by promising to help support AMD64 instruction set in exchange for Jerry Sanders testifying in its anti trust suit against the government that Microsoft was working outside its Wintel Completion. Microsoft developed Windows for both Itanium and AMD64, but when Intel's Itanium flopped they asked Microsoft to develop a Windows version for their own x86/64 Instruction set/architecture to which Microsoft told them no and GO COPY AMD64 ARCHITECTURE IF THEY WANTED an x86 Windows - SO WHO IS THE COPYCAT? During most of the 2005 to 2016 Intel ruled the roost with iCore CPU's and AMD had neither process right not their designs. During this time development and customer value sucked as Intel had almost all of the market, Intel went generation after generation changing Sockets and pinouts forcing users to upgrade their hardware for very little performance. Then AMD sold off its FAB's (Chip Plants) and focused on Design with Sledgehammer architecture - and no this had nothing to do with Lisa Sui - she just happened to be there - sure she is great but all of this was in the works. They regained their focus and slowly re-took the performance lead while Intel struggled with Process and Manufacturing which AMD no longer was in the business of (Handing it over the TSM who was the strongest process company). They also focused strongly on R & D and solid pipeline of products and they executed well while at the same time intel faltered with process, and basically lost its way with all kinds of woke nonsense, etc. Intel is a dead company they were supposed to be dead since the early 2000's but they managed to survive despite them being lost back then but they used their muscle to rally out from the limited time window a competing product gives them before its too late. AMD has not done very well on the Graphics front but that seems to be changing, although they dominate in the console market. Most large companies rein usually come to an end - Intel just got lucky but they have always been a poorly executed company from an engineering stand point. There are many details i left out - like the Pentium 4 Fiasco, the DIV/0 error in the first gen Pentium. Eventually many large companies may end up using their own chips as ARM becomes better and more popular - Apple is already doing it, Amazon and Google will shortly.

Might as well say sponsored by Intel.

Very nice video.

The boomer WSJ made a video about processors that’s exactly how a boomer would make it. I’m so surprised.

Missed the early 2000's WSJ?? Some great Journalism right there :P

It has nothing to do with Tech. It has all to do with management. AMD before Lisa Su became CEO, they were on the brink of brankruptcy while Intel's management did absolutely nothing besides buying back shares.

Lisa Su's appointment as a new CEO was definitely a watershed moment for AMD. Before her, AMD processors were notorious for overheating and instability issues. These problems are still experienced in today's processors. But not so frequently witness this situation nowadays compared to pre-Lisa Su's period. Her ideas and leadership absolutely carried out AMD's prestige to a new level.

Also the fact that AMD is fabless and uses TSMC for manufacturing is a big advantage.

2:00 semi conductor is either insulator or conductor, not more conductive...

Thanks to tsmc’s leading edge process technology and capacity support

The short answer is: they hired a technical a CEO and she was competent. Different from the blue collar marketing dude Intel had as CEO. AMDs CEO knew what was behind the curtains and prioritized investments. It’s like Elon understanding what happens what R&D reports to him.

Great to see more competition in this space. Monopolies are never good for the end user.

What this video doesn't mention is that the x86 instruction set is dying... and BOTH AMD and Intel will be declining because of that. The ARM instruction will be the future and other companies are making their chips faster and more power efficient (e.g. Apple, Google, Amazon) leaving Intel and AMD behind.

Wait, you didn't mention Jim Keller? "AMD release a new architecture" and you attribute this to "Lisa Su's tenure". While it did happen under Lisa, the head Engineer involved was none other than Jim Keller. The King of CPUs.

this is one of those videos where the info you need to know is in the comments, not the video.

This ASA guy either doesnt know what hes talking about, or his statements were taken out of context. AMD was NOT an intel copycat. The only reason they manufactured Intel chips is because this is a requirement by the us mil/gov. they HAVE to have multiple sources to ensure a stable supply and have price and quality competition. AMD started selling fairchild and national semi clones for the same reason as soon as they started their biz, but quickly had their own unique products which were very successful.

AMD is definitely a buy 🚀🚀🚀

Really really interesting ⭐

Computers are more expensive due to the chip shortage. People are struggling more financially. Maybe people just want to buy the cheaper chip now, which is AMD? What evidence is there that the AMD chip is actually superior?

Intel MBA background execs got greedy at a point in time and innovation was not encouraged. That is why Intel is where it is today.

I would say the biggest change that allowed AMD to catch up to Intel is focusing on chip design and cutting their foundry business. By having TSMC make their chips for them it offload AMD's responsibilities especially when TSMC industry leading.

To just ignore the many attempts at innovation and successes AMD had in the 70s and 80s is just wrong. AMD developed some very advanced chips that even Intel produced in license for a while (early on). The problem was that AMD often miscalculated the market and their own developments only got into niche markets while intel defined the industry for decades. AMD was on the brink of bankruptcy many times because it took huge risks with innovative developments that rarely payed out. Its nice to see that AMD has finally broken the mold it was stuck in for so long.

A lot of Nvidia's and Intel's top brass got their start @ AMD.

AMD got advantage over Intel for Live Applications and it's preferred in Data Servers and Data Centers.

Well 10 years of Wall Street CEO's treating Intel like a piggy bank didn't help much either, they milked their old lithography to the absolute limit before finally committing to EUV, and we in the semi tool manufacturing businesses can't build as fastcas Intel wants us to, we're stuck in supply chain shortages. We've already tripled our production, and we're only yalf way to where we need to be after 2 years, because we have to build more production facilities. Been watching this play out from behind the curtain so to speak for the last 14 years.

athlon64? igpu? displayport?

Not even any mention of how TSMC is the one beating Intel on newest node. And TSMC makes chip for Nvidia for AMD for Apple. Without TSMC, none of the above three would be able to compete with Intel.😂

AMD actually beat intel when they were in netburst aka P4 but intel strong armed Pc manufacturers into only stocking intel chips. AMD also ran into supply issues so their R&D suffered for quite some time.

Its not about lisa su, inovation is from jim keller, he work on foundation on zen architecture, and how its make scalable cheaply, amd way more efficient, jim keller is brain behind apple A cpu and tesla in house cpu

You mean 53 years for the industry to recognize that AMD was the best most of the time: cheaper, faster, and in the decade, the lest energy-hungry? 53 years to see that Intel's success was mostly marketing hype, lobbying and illegal tactics.

I prefer Frito-lay chips. They are cheaper and also good.

It beat Intel by being nearly as good and way cheaper. That always works.

OMG these people know nothing of computing history. AMD was not a "copy cat". They were a second source supplier mandated by DOD to ensure supply of critical components was not reliant one one company

Ehhh I've definitely heard better explanations of how a processor works...

Furthermore, Intel's new generation Raptor Lake CPUs outperform AMD's Zen 4 series in many Benchmarks. No one denies AMD's notable progress and achievements in the CPU market, but Intel still got the lead :)

never underestimate a underdog in the game

"If chip is the main brain, the core is the tiny second brain". Facepalm. The core IS the brain, the chip is the whole package (brain + nervous system +skull)

The Wall Street journal needs to talk about Ecosia they are a search engine that plants trees

Beat in Market Capitalization, not Revenue, right?

TSMC fab-ed chip is faster than Intel fab-ed chip.

Thats such a shallow wikipedia analysis of the market and its players.

Wow! I bought shares of AMD back in 2014 at 4$ share and I still hod them!