ARM收购AMD 处理器巨头欲掀融合潮
2011-05-05
作者:第一财经日报 王如晨
去年业内曾流行过英特尔、苹果等收购ARM的传闻,至今已无下文。如今“世道大变”,ARM竟然反过来要收购AMD。
几天前,ARM首席执行官Warren East在财报会表示,董事会与股东长期以来一直想买AMD,由于后者目前正重估战略,眼下机会大增。
要在3年前,这定会引来嘲笑。因为,当时ARM与AMD一个身在通信市场,一个身在
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那Warren East是借机给投资人讲故事吗?要知道,一个多月来,ARM股价大幅飙升。
笔者认为,ARM买下AMD可能未必成行,人们在批评英特尔
移动互联网战略受困于处理器功耗难题时,可能对ARM移动互联网现有优势地位过于乐观了。或者说,他的话,变相传达的是ARM的一种危机感。面对英特尔、
IPS" title="
MIPS">MIPS等强敌,它不能等着对手突破
低功耗技术障碍,必须尽快拓展新出路。
过去几年,ARM在物理IP、工具等方面做了垂直整合,但在64位处理器技术及高主频方面并未显出优势,目前还缺乏主流操作系统
微软的更多支持。
上述这些是AMD的强项。AMD虽被英特尔长期压制,但却是PC产业链最大的制衡力量。业内甚至认为,AMD之所以落后英特尔,非技术所致,而是商业与运营不力。
ARM如能买下AMD,既能掌控手机与平板产业链,也能渗透至少20%~30%的PC市场,等于说通吃产业上游了。
但这合理的商业逻辑却不大可行。业内有观点认为,主要或许是财力不够,ARM年营收仅6亿美元左右,属于“小而美”企业,AMD则是个大块头。但笔者认为,上述ARM收购AMD不可行并不在于财务问题——依ARM地位,获得财务杠杆不难——而最重要的是各自的模式:ARM为授权模式,即将架构与专利授权给许多处理器设计企业,而英特尔则是自己设计处理器;ARM收购AMD,等于跟自己原合作伙伴打架。另一方面,AMD架构来自英特尔,专利权自然掌握在英特尔手中,ARM收购AMD,等于为英特尔打工。
笔者去年曾分析过英特尔收购ARM不具可行性,理由异曲同工。如果成真,在ARM授权模式下生活的许多处理器企业将直面生死——除非英特尔改变商业模式,走向开放授权,但短期内几乎看不到任何希望。截至目前,英特尔架构的处理器企业仅4家。
ARM与AMD之间是否就没了变通合作机会?当然有,而且同样会让英特尔紧张。那就是AMD主动出击,既沿用英特尔架构,也购买ARM授权。前者用来打击英特尔PC产业,后者用来拓展
智能手机与平板市场。由于AMD2009年已淡化制造业,抛弃了类似英特尔的IDM模式,这并不妨害现有运营模式。
因此,笔者认为,与其说是收购,不如说是合作与融合。前不久,AMD已经传出或将购买ARM授权,以拓展平板市场。事实上,AMD的显示处理器中,早有ARM技术。
如果“ARM+AMD”的双A合作成真,并走向深入,借助AMD的处理器设计力量、基于微软系统的方案以及PC产业链,有望快速形成真正颠覆手机与PC产业的核心力量。事实上,英特尔已经采用相像的动作。去年它收购了英飞凌的无线业务,而后者的核心产品正是基于ARM的架构。
大概会有人问,苹果iPad已在手机与PC交融地带让人惊奇,还有什么值得期待的呢?那不过是一种过渡形态,其中的处理器基于ARM架构,连苹果自身都承认并非最理想的产品。看起来,一个真正的产业融合时代还没有到来,到时候谁能胜出,要看现在谁能将对立阵营的资源融合得更快。
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