14 DAY TRIAL // In a move whose effects won't be felt for a while, a high-ranking executive from Advanced Micro Devices has left the company to work with none other than NVIDIA.
We need not remind people of the great rivalry that these companies are in, even as they share similar interests and suppliers.
It wasn't always like this. NVIDIA's rivalry was with ATI Technologies, originally, but AMD, back then a maker of just CPUs, picked up the torch when it acquired the latter.
One person from ATI that was instrumental in AMD's design wins outside the PC market, specifically the game console segment, has left to join NVIDIA.
Named Bob Feldstein, he was the former vice president of strategic development and the one who negotiated and maintained the AMD's relationship with game console makers.
His track record includes getting Microsoft and Nintendo to employ ATI graphics processors in their gaming consoles: Xbox 360 and Wii. That only leaves out Sony's PS2/PS3.
"During his time with AMD, Bob built a model that positioned our graphics [intellectual property] and [chip] capabilities in new market segments," said Andrew Fox, a spokesman for AMD.
NVIDIA hired him "to help us think through current and possible future technology licensing projects."
We don't doubt that NVIDIA will try harder to get game consoles on board with using its graphics processing units after this. After all, though neither party is likely to officially acknowledge it, AMD and NVIDIA are in a fairly tight stalemate on the PC AIB front.
It won't be easy to pull off though, and it will take some really efficient fast talking. After all, already rumors are suggesting that Microsoft's Xbox Next and Nintendo's Wii U, even Sony's PlayStation 3 “Orbos”, will have AMD video capabilities.
For those who want some more background info, Bob Feldstein had been with ATI and AMD ever since he joined the former in 1994. The decision to switch employers was one he made himself.