The impact of a combined AMD (Advanced Micro Devices)-ATI Technologies has begun to be felt in Taiwan, with motherboard makers likely to reduce or even suspend their efforts to develop Intel-based motherboards built utilizing chipsets from ATI, while switching more resources to manufacturing models with ATI's AMD-based chipsets, according to sources at Taiwan motherboard makers.

Local motherboard makers are increasingly concerned that the AMD-ATI merger would cause a discontinuation or shortage in supply of ATI chipsets supporting Intel's platform, with the makers citing as a precedent the shortage of ATI's southbridge chips early this year when Nvidia completed its takeover of Taiwan-based ULi Electronics, which previously bundled its southbridge chips with ATI's northbridge parts.

Motherboard maker Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) is now re-assessing its plan to launch Intel-based motherboards based on the ATI RD600 northbridge and ATI RS600 IGP product, according to the sources.

Motherboard maker Gigabyte Technology, which had long discontinued using chips from ATI, has rekindled a project to develop motherboards utilizing ATI's RS690 IGP for the AMD platform, the sources indicated.

Taiwan motherboard makers also anticipate that AMD will soon bundle its CPUs with ATI chipsets to compete with Intel in the OEM PC segment, the sources contended.

By: DocMemory
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