Intel today said it was concerned its patents might be at risk as a result of AMD's manufacturing split. The former company licenses its x86 chip architecture and other key technologies to AMD and has "serious questions" about whether those licenses will be honored if AMD's division into design and manufacturing companies is approved, according to Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy.
AMD this morning took a radical step to improve its fortunes by launching into its promised split into two separate companies. The plan will see AMD break off its semiconductor manufacturing business into a separate company, for now known as the The Foundry Company, and will result in the new company both assuming about $1.2 billion of AMD's debt and the Abu Dhabi-based firm Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) supplying about $2.1 billion to both start up the new company as well as to help earn a majority stake in the project, which will also give it 55.6 percent of shares.
