WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.200 There are only two options for desktop and laptop CPUs, 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:08.360 AMD or Intel, right? Wrong, or at least sort of wrong. 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 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:19.400 that weren't actually made by either of those companies. 00:00:19.400 --> 00:00:23.680 But hold on a second, everyone loves importing Chinese-made goods on the cheap, 00:00:23.680 --> 00:00:27.600 so why didn't we see them on store shelves all over the world? 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, 00:00:33.360 --> 00:00:37.480 Wendell from Level One Techs, and Drew Prairie for their help unraveling this. 00:00:37.480 --> 00:00:41.360 Here's what happened. Back in 2015, AMD had not released 00:00:41.360 --> 00:00:44.400 their blockbuster Ryzen series of processors yet 00:00:44.400 --> 00:00:49.480 and was struggling financially in a big way. They identified a demand for a CPU 00:00:49.480 --> 00:00:52.800 that was specifically designed for the Chinese market 00:00:52.800 --> 00:00:56.720 and Chinese government entities, but they needed to jump through some hoops 00:00:56.760 --> 00:01:00.320 in order to take advantage of it. So AMD formed a joint venture 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:03.800 with a Chinese investment consortium called FATIC. 00:01:03.800 --> 00:01:08.040 And while the joint venture was partially owned by AMD, 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:11.080 it operated separately to a large extent. 00:01:11.080 --> 00:01:15.600 Now, of course, to build an x86 CPU, you need a lot of expertise 00:01:15.600 --> 00:01:19.040 and AMD wasn't gonna just give away all of its secrets 00:01:19.040 --> 00:01:24.480 to how it designed its processors. So instead, AMD provided the joint venture 00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:29.720 with portions of its intellectual property that allowed it to build processors 00:01:29.720 --> 00:01:35.000 based on existing AMD core designs and make changes only to things like 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:38.200 the processors input output controls or IO, 00:01:38.200 --> 00:01:42.760 as well as cryptographic engines, possibly due to a desire of the Chinese government 00:01:42.760 --> 00:01:46.080 for added security. The resulting chips were primarily designed 00:01:46.080 --> 00:01:50.280 for the server market. And even though they started turning up months 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:53.840 before AMD actually launched any Zen-based CPUs 00:01:53.880 --> 00:01:57.760 under their own brand, it turns out that they're quite comparable 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:02.280 to first generation, epic processors and are even pin compatible 00:02:02.280 --> 00:02:06.440 with epic motherboards found in other countries. But then hold on a sec. 00:02:06.440 --> 00:02:10.360 If AMD went to the trouble of starting up a joint venture in China, 00:02:10.360 --> 00:02:13.400 does this mean that you might see Chinese CPUs 00:02:13.400 --> 00:02:18.760 become a real alternative to the market dominance of Intel and AMD proper? 00:02:18.760 --> 00:02:23.360 Well, right now that doesn't look too likely. The performance isn't any better 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:27.760 and there aren't any additional features on these Chinese chips that would make them appealing 00:02:27.760 --> 00:02:32.840 to a customer overseas. Furthermore, all AMD ever really gave the joint venture 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. 00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:41.440 And although AMD earned a good chunk of money from the joint venture, 00:02:41.440 --> 00:02:44.480 it was the broader release of Ryzen and Epic 00:02:44.480 --> 00:02:47.560 that really helped turn the company's fortunes around. 00:02:47.560 --> 00:02:51.520 In fact, the same AMD and Intel chips that you find in other countries 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 00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:59.840 for a third source of CPUs. And it also appears that the joint venture 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 00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:08.880 any Zen designs past the first generation, the Chinese chip maker is now 00:03:08.880 --> 00:03:12.040 on the US government's entity list, meaning that the joint venture 00:03:12.040 --> 00:03:16.120 can't do business with the US companies, sell to any other entity on the list 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:20.480 or receive technology from American firms. So there are a number of these chips 00:03:20.480 --> 00:03:24.440 out in the wild currently, but it is unlikely that they're making any more. 00:03:24.440 --> 00:03:27.960 Of course, with AMD writing itself with the success of Ryzen and Epic, 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 00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:36.360 from other companies anytime soon. But even though the chips are only a few years old, 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, 00:03:40.120 --> 00:03:43.600 just don't expect it to make your PC any faster. 00:03:43.600 --> 00:03:46.840 So thanks for watching, guys. Like, dislike, check out our other videos. 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. 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.