AMD's Dresden, New York fabs could make GPUs

ORDINARILY, YOU have to design a GPU for the specific Fab in which you intend to build it. Therefore you have the chips such as ATI's RV515 which is the TSMC chip and RV516, which is the UMC version. It is interesting that both chips have the same specification but the Fabs are not compatible and neither is able to make a chip designed for the competition's fab.

We hear that both Fab 36 in Dresden and the planned AMD factory in New York State could be capable of producing GPUs, if necessary. Both ATI or Nvidia, as potential customers or as a part of the new AMD, would have to heavily redesign their GPUs to produce them but the bottom line is that it is possible. Of course, AMD would have to have some excess capacity to accommodate either.

ATI could start making R700 derivates to fit the needs of AMD's fabs and we are quite sure that R800 and its derivates could be designed for a potential AMD Fab from day one.

It would take time but it would be possible. But just to underline it could be done. This may shed a new light on the potential acquisition whispers. µ