Re: [Rumor] AMD's 45nm 'Deneb' core to launch at 4.4GHz?

One thing we have to remember which is rarely talked about is AMD is under contract with intel to produce chips on the x86 form factor.

Rough summary - apologies if the accuracy is off: Cross licensing stems back quite a number of years ago (20?) when Intel was incapable of producing enough processors for the PC market, which was just emerging. AMD at that time was more or less a startup company without much of any recognizable branded product and no CPU designs. Intel contracted with AMD to fabaricate processors, just as many chipmakers today contract with TSMC in Taiwan (AMD/ATI, Nvidia). So yes, a certain percentage of Intel branded and labeled processors were manufactured by AMD. Eventually - I don't remember how it happened - Intel allowed AMD to produce Intel-based design CPUs under the AMD name. If I remember correctly, this was part of Intel's compensation to AMD. At the time, Intel's manufacturing capacity was not large. Intel's need was such that they were to make concessions that neither AMD nor Intel would think of doing today. AMD was allowed to use the Intel design(s), X86 as it became called, but could produce only so much under the AMD brand. The cross licensing aspect of the deal with Intel was that AMD had to also share their own technology with Intel. That cross licensing agreement is still mainly intact. To some instant, AMD and Intel are both legally bound to share technology with each other. And they do.

AMD's first processors were...Intel processors. Intel in some respects is AMD's adopted father. (I know that sounds like heresy to some of you. )