1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,200 There are only two options for desktop and laptop CPUs, 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:08,360 AMD or Intel, right? Wrong, or at least sort of wrong. 3 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:15,640 You see, it wasn't too long ago that in China, there were factories churning out x86 compatible CPUs 4 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:19,400 that weren't actually made by either of those companies. 5 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:23,680 But hold on a second, everyone loves importing Chinese-made goods on the cheap, 6 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:27,600 so why didn't we see them on store shelves all over the world? 7 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:33,360 To get to the bottom of this, we called in a few favors. So massive shout outs to Dr. Kutras from Nantec, 8 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:37,480 Wendell from Level One Techs, and Drew Prairie for their help unraveling this. 9 00:00:37,480 --> 00:00:41,360 Here's what happened. Back in 2015, AMD had not released 10 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,400 their blockbuster Ryzen series of processors yet 11 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:49,480 and was struggling financially in a big way. They identified a demand for a CPU 12 00:00:49,480 --> 00:00:52,800 that was specifically designed for the Chinese market 13 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:56,720 and Chinese government entities, but they needed to jump through some hoops 14 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,320 in order to take advantage of it. So AMD formed a joint venture 15 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,800 with a Chinese investment consortium called FATIC. 16 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:08,040 And while the joint venture was partially owned by AMD, 17 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,080 it operated separately to a large extent. 18 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:15,600 Now, of course, to build an x86 CPU, you need a lot of expertise 19 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:19,040 and AMD wasn't gonna just give away all of its secrets 20 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:24,480 to how it designed its processors. So instead, AMD provided the joint venture 21 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:29,720 with portions of its intellectual property that allowed it to build processors 22 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:35,000 based on existing AMD core designs and make changes only to things like 23 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,200 the processors input output controls or IO, 24 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,760 as well as cryptographic engines, possibly due to a desire of the Chinese government 25 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:46,080 for added security. The resulting chips were primarily designed 26 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:50,280 for the server market. And even though they started turning up months 27 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,840 before AMD actually launched any Zen-based CPUs 28 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:57,760 under their own brand, it turns out that they're quite comparable 29 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:02,280 to first generation, epic processors and are even pin compatible 30 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:06,440 with epic motherboards found in other countries. But then hold on a sec. 31 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,360 If AMD went to the trouble of starting up a joint venture in China, 32 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,400 does this mean that you might see Chinese CPUs 33 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:18,760 become a real alternative to the market dominance of Intel and AMD proper? 34 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:23,360 Well, right now that doesn't look too likely. The performance isn't any better 35 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:27,760 and there aren't any additional features on these Chinese chips that would make them appealing 36 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:32,840 to a customer overseas. Furthermore, all AMD ever really gave the joint venture 37 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:38,240 was the rights to use a core based around the first generation of Zen and nothing beyond that. 38 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,440 And although AMD earned a good chunk of money from the joint venture, 39 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,480 it was the broader release of Ryzen and Epic 40 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:47,560 that really helped turn the company's fortunes around. 41 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:51,520 In fact, the same AMD and Intel chips that you find in other countries 42 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:55,080 can still be bought in China. So it isn't as if there's a glaring need 43 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:59,840 for a third source of CPUs. And it also appears that the joint venture 44 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:04,840 might be inactive by this point anyway. So not only has AMD not given the joint venture 45 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:08,880 any Zen designs past the first generation, the Chinese chip maker is now 46 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,040 on the US government's entity list, meaning that the joint venture 47 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:16,120 can't do business with the US companies, sell to any other entity on the list 48 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:20,480 or receive technology from American firms. So there are a number of these chips 49 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:24,440 out in the wild currently, but it is unlikely that they're making any more. 50 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:27,960 Of course, with AMD writing itself with the success of Ryzen and Epic, 51 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:32,240 this isn't exactly a huge loss for them. So I wouldn't anticipate tons of x86 chips 52 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:36,360 from other companies anytime soon. But even though the chips are only a few years old, 53 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:40,120 they're already a collector's item. If you can somehow find a way to get your hands on one, 54 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:43,600 just don't expect it to make your PC any faster. 55 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:46,840 So thanks for watching, guys. Like, dislike, check out our other videos. 56 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:51,120 Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss any feature fast as possible. So maybe leave us a comment. 57 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:58,580 What would you do with one of these Chinese CPUs? Make like a sweet chain, like yo, like geek swag.