juanrga (nospam.delete@this.juanrga.com) on August 16, 2014 11:43 am wrote:
> It is not the first time that I read similar claims to those in Microprocessor
> report. Years ago Nvidia mentioned that its GPGPU customers are tired of the
> x86 monopoly and want choices: ARM just provides them another choice.
>
> And I have heard similar claims from AMD. More concretely in this slide
>
This is a classic case of confusing wants, needs, and wishes. The Custom wants lower prices, needs some token competitor to make that possible, and various vendors confuses that need with a want to buy their products.

First of all, no one really wants ARM to win. They want 100x performance at 1/100th of the price. And when they get that, they'll want it again.

This is no different than customers wanting AMD to be competitive so that they can buy Intel at lower prices.

If there was a real need by customers to run something besides Intel, they would of already done it. There are plenty of alternatives out there, from well respected companies with serious track records and history.

No one cares about any supposed x86 monopoly, they simple want some viable competition so they can get cheaper prices from their vendor of choice.

The customers have had nothing but choices over the years and invariably, without fail, they have chosen Intel time after time. Customers love having choice, it is what allows them to buy what they were already going to buy for cheaper.

But it is ignorant to confuse wanting leverage with wanting to make a wholesale change of infrastructure.