AMD

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. is an American multinational semiconductor

company based in Sunnyvale, California, United States, that develops computer
processors and related technologies for commercial and consumer markets. While
initially it manufactured its own processors, the company became fabless after
GlobalFoundries was spun off in 2009. AMD's main products include microprocessors,
motherboard chipsets, embedded processors and graphics processors for servers,
workstations and personal computers, and embedded systems applications.
AMD is the second-largest global supplier of microprocessors based on the x86
architecture and also one of the largest suppliers of graphics processing units. It also
owns 8.6% of Spansion, a supplier of non-volatile flash memory.[6]
AMD is the only significant rival to Intel in the central processor (CPU) market for (x86
based) personal computers. Since acquiring ATI in 2006, AMD and its competitor Nvidia
have dominated the discrete graphics processor unit (GPU) market.
Timeline: How AMD changed over the past 39 years
The 1960s to 2000s
1969: A group of former executives of Fairchild Semiconductor, including Jerry Sanders, found Advanced
Micro Devices on May 1, 1969, with and initial investment of $100,000.
The companys focus was the design of logic chips.
1970: AMD introduces the Am2501 logic counter, its first proprietary device.
1972: AMD goes public.
1975: AMD enters the RAM chip business, reverse-engineers the Intel 8080 microprocessor and creates
bit-slice processor elements for minicomputer designs.
1979: AMD joins the New York Stock Exchange and opens its new manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas.
1982: AMD becomes an Intel-licensed second-source microprocessor supplier of 8086 and 8088 chips
for IBM. AMD creates the 80286 clone called Am286, based upon Intel's design and microcode.
1985: ATI (later acquired by AMD) develops its first graphics controller and first graphics board product.
AMD enters the Fortune 500 list.

1986: Intel cancels its license agreement with AMD and refuses to divulge technical details of the i386.
An eight-year legal battle follows.
1987: AMD acquires Monolithic Memories and enters the programmable logic business.
1988: AMD established the AMD Submicron Development Center which would later supply next-
generation technology to all AMD fabs worldwide.
1991: AMD debuts a reverse-engineered alternative to the Intel 386 processor dubbed Am386, which
sold more than one million units in less than one year.
1993: AMD launches Intel 486 processor clone Am486. NOR Flash joint venture with Fujitsu founded.
1994: AMD lands major long-term deal with Compaq to supply Am486 processors.
1992: ATI subsidiary in Germany established, the first VESA and PCI products brought to market and
Mach32 unveiled, ATI's first graphics controller and accelerator on a single chip.
1994: Legal fight with Intel over the 386 chip ends and the Supreme Court of California sides with AMD.
1995: K6 launches as Intel Pentium rival and first independently designed CPU.
1996: AMD acquires microprocessor company NexGen for rights to their Nx series of x86-compatible
processors, a move that put AMD into direct competition with Intel in the microprocessor market. Plans
of construction of Fab 30 in Dresden, Germany, announced.
1997: AMD introduces the K6 processor as an answer to Intels Pentium II.
1998: K6-2 launched. AMD announces partnership with Motorola to co-develop a copper-based
semiconductor technology that would become the foundation for the K7 manufacturing process.
1999: AMD debuts the Athlon (K7) microprocessor. The processor was designed by a former DEC team
led by Dirk Meyer who was one of lead DEC Alpha engineers and would become AMD CEO in 2008. AMD
demonstrates the first 1 GHz processor at 1016 MHz.
The 2000s
2000: AMD unveils mobile AMD-K6-2+ processors with power management. Jerry Sanders recruits the
president of Motorola's semiconductor business, Hector Ruiz, to become AMD's president and COO. ATI
acquires ArtX and integrates its future CEO Dave Orton into the company. ATI introduces its Radeon
series of graphics cards. AMD begins revenue shipments from its 200 mm Fab 30 in Dresden.
2001: AMD intros the Athlon MP, its first workstation processor. HyperTransport is adopted by Agilent,
Apple, Broadcom, Cisco Systems, IBM, nVidia, Sun, and Texas Instruments.
2002: AMD acquires Alchemy Semiconductor and its low-power, embedded processor technology. The
Athlon XP integrates AMDs Cool'n'Quiet technology. Hector Ruiz succeeded AMD co-founder Jerry
Sanders.
2003: AMD and IBM partner on future generation manufacturing technologies. 64-bit technology debuts
with Athlon 64 and Opteron processors, the companys first true server processor. AMD acquires
National Semiconductors x86 business and announces a strategic alliance with Sun Microsystems. AMD
and Fujitsu form a new flash joint-venture called Spansion.
2004: AMD demonstrated its first x86 dual-core processor and establishes subsidiary in China with
Beijing HQ.
2005: Turion 64 for notebooks as well as the dual-core Athlon 64 X2 and dual-core Opteron processors
are announced. 300 mm Fab 36 in Dresden, Germany opens. AMD files antitrust litigation against Intel
for illegally abusing its monopoly to exclude and limit competition. Spansion goes public.
2006: AMD announces $5.4 billion merger with ATI and announces plans for the 2010 Fusion processor.
ATI CEO Dave Orton is named Executive VP of Visual and Media Businesses. Dell announced AMD-based
systems. AMD demonstrates its quad-core x86 server processor based on the Barcelona core and
establishes Shanghai Research and Development Center to focus on mobile platforms.AMD transitions
to 65 nm CPUs and promises to reduce the manufacturing distance to Intel. Production plans of 32 nm
fab in New York State announced.
2007: Dave Orton resigns. Opteron and Phenom quad-core processor launch with TLB bug. AMD
announces triple-core CPUs, claims first 45 nm processors manufactured. The company loses billions of
dollars in a processor price war with Intel in an effort to retain its market share.
2008: AMD introduces triple-core processors and launches its 4800 of graphics cards. The second
generation of Barcelona Opteron processors without TLB bug. AMD begins selling non-core businesses
as well as 200 mm manufacturing assets. Production of first 45 nm processor started. President and COO
Dirk Meyer replaces Hector Ruiz as CEO. AMD announces to split into two companies a chip
manufacturing company and a chip design firm.







AMD-originated architectures
AM2900 SERIES
In February 1982, AMD signed a contract with Intel, becoming a licensed second-
source manufacturer of 8086 and 8088 processors. IBM wanted to use the Intel 8088 in
its IBM PC, but IBM's policy at the time was to require at least two sources for its chips.
AMD later produced the Am286 under the same arrangement, but Intel canceled the
agreement in 1986 and refused to convey technical details of the i386 part. AMD
challenged Intel's decision to cancel the agreement and won in arbitration, but Intel
disputed this decision. A long legal dispute followed, ending in 1994 when the Supreme
Court of California sided with AMD. Subsequent legal disputes centered on whether
AMD had legal rights to use derivatives of Intel's microcode. In the face of uncertainty,
AMD was forced to develop clean room designed versions of Intel code.
In 1991, AMD released the Am386, its clone of the Intel 386 processor. It took less than
a year for the company to sell a million units. Later, the Am486 was used by a number of
large original equipment manufacturers, including Compaq, and proved popular.
Another Am486-based product, the Am5x86, continued AMD's success as a low-price
alternative. However, as product cycles shortened in the PC industry, the process of
reverse engineering Intel's products became an ever less viable strategy for AMD.
AM286
The Am286 was one of the results of this contract, earlier examples being the
AMD versions of the 8086, 8088, 80186 and 80188.
Essentially just an 80286, the Am286 was in reality Intel-designed all the way, pin and
instruction compatible, based upon Intel's microcode. The chip was later sold by AMD as
an embedded processor. It had an advantage over its Intel brethren: a higher clock
speed. Intels 286s topped out at 12.5 MHz before they switched production to the i386,
but AMD continued the production of 286 CPUs and had a 16 MHz version of the 286 for
sale in August 1987, later even offering a 20 MHz version.
Am286

A 68-pin PLCC Am286-12 in a CPU socket
Produced From 1984 to 1990
Marketed by AMD
Designed by Intel
Common
manufacturer(s)
AMD
Max. CPU clock rate 8 MHz to 20 MHz
FSB speeds 8 MHz to 20 MHz
Min. feature size 1.5 m
Instruction set x86 (IA-16)
Microarchitecture 80286
Cores 1
L1 cache Motherboard
dependent
L2 cache none
Application Desktop, Embedded
Predecessor Am86
Am186
Successor Am386
Package(s) 68-pin CLCC
68-pin PLCC
68-pin PGA

AM386
The Am386 CPU was a 100%-compatible clone of the Intel 80386 design released
by AMD in 1991. It sold millions of units, positioning AMD as a legitimate competitor to
Intel, rather than being merely a second source for x86 CPUs (then termed 8086-family)
Am386

An AMD 80386DX-40 in a 132-pin PQFP, soldered onboard
Produced 1991
Marketed by AMD
Designed by AMD
Common manufacturer(s)
AMD
Max. CPU clock rate 20 MHz to 40 MHz
FSB speeds 20 Mhz to 40 Mhz
Min. feature size 1.5 m to 0.8 m
Instruction set x86 (IA-32)
Microarchitecture 80386
Product code 23936
Cores 1
L1 cache Motherboard dependent
L2 cache none
Application Desktop, Embedded (DE-Models)
Predecessor Am286
Successor Am486
Package(s) DX variant:
132-pin PGA
132-pin PQFP
SX variant:
88-pin PGA
100-pin PQFP

AM486
The Am486 is a 80486-class family of computer processors that was produced by
AMD in the 1990s. Intel beat AMD to market by nearly four years, but AMD priced its 40
MHz 486 at or below Intel's price for a 33 MHz chip, offering about 20% better
performance for the same price.
The Am5x86 processor is an x86-compatible CPU introduced in 1995 by AMD for
use in 486-class computer systems. It was one of the fastest, and most universally
compatible upgrade paths for users of 486 systems.
Introduced in November 1995, the Am5x86 (also known as 5x86-133, Am5x86,
X5-133, and sold under various 3rd-party labels such as the Kingston Technology
"Turbochip") is an Enhanced Am486 processor with an internally set multiplier of 4,
allowing it to run at 133 MHz on systems without official support for clock-multiplied
DX2 or DX4 486 processors. Like all Enhanced Am486, the Am5x86 featured write-back
L1 cache, and unlike all but a few, a generous 16 kilobytes rather than the more
common 8 KB. A rare 150 MHz-rated OEM part was also released by AMD.

An early Am5x86-P75 for Socket 3, model ADW
Produced From November 1995 to 1999
Marketed by AMD
Designed by AMD
Common
manufacturer(s)
AMD
Max. CPU clock rate 133 MHz to 150 MHz
FSB speeds 25 MT/s to 33 MT/s
Min. feature size 0.35 m
Instruction set x86 (IA-32)
Cores 1
L1 cache 4-way associative 16 KiBunified code and
data,write-back or write-through.
L2 cache Motherboard dependent
L3 cache none
Predecessor Am486
Successor AMD K5
Socket(s) Socket 1 (with voltage regulator)
Socket 2 (with voltage regulator)
Socket 3
Package(s) 168-pin PGA
208-pin SQFP

AM29000 SERIES
The AMD 29000, often simply 29k, was a popular family of 32-bit RISC
microprocessors and microcontrollers developed and fabricated by Advanced Micro
Devices (AMD). They were, for a time, the most popular RISC chips on the market,
widely used in laser printers from a variety of manufacturers. In late 1995 AMD dropped
development of the 29k because the design team was transferred to support the PC side
of the business. What remained of AMD's embedded business was realigned towards
the embedded 186 family of 80186 derivatives. The majority of AMD's resources were
then concentrated on their high-performance, desktop x86 clones, using many of the
ideas and individual parts of the latest 29k to produce the AMD K5.