Phil Rogers AMD Fellow Jumps Ship to NVIDIA

FrgMstr

Just Plain Mean
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AMD promoted Phil Rogers to Corporate Fellow back in 2007. This is what AMD had to say back then. He was with AMD for 21 years.

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 26, 2007--AMD (NYSE: AMD) announced the appointment of Phil Rogers to AMD Corporate Fellow. In this role, Rogers will continue developing advanced architectures and extend AMD's software capabilities. Rogers' emphasis on enhancing graphics processing unit (GPU) and central processing unit (CPU) interoperability through software and hardware innovations plays a central role in delivering performance optimization and power reduction advances for graphics and computing. Corporate Fellow is the highest level of technical recognition at AMD, and is reserved for those who impact AMD's business opportunities and technical breadth by providing a high degree of expertise, knowledge, creativity, and tactical and strategic direction.

Rogers will play a key role in software development for AMD's "Fusion" technology initiative, where CPUs and GPUs are combined and integrated to improve energy efficiency and performance capability. Rogers will focus on the software requirements necessary to bring together the GPU and CPU in a way that optimizes system power and performance, while maintaining software and application flexibility.

We have confirmed this morning that Mr. Rogers is now with NVIDIA, and not in a minuscule role. His new title at NVIDIA is Chief Software Architect - Compute Server. Congratulations Mr. Rogers! While this is not on our usual radar, this is certainly a good move for NVIDIA and not such a good one for AMD. It makes us question what is going on over at AMD nowadays.
 
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NVIDIA must have been impressed with something out of AMD in the last 8 years (even if NVIDIA fans haven't been ;) )
 
The skill set he possesses is rare and I am sure he will be missed at AMD. It's generally not a good sign when your engineering fellows leave.
 
Unfortunate, would this perhaps have anything to do with the ATI spinoff announced a few weeks back?
 
I can't wait for budget video cards to sell for $400.

Games will all be designed for Intel graphics.

AMD needs to get their shit together.
 
Given AMD's financial situation, I think it's not surprising that they are not able to retain important talents. These talents come with a price and if AMD can't afford them, someone else will.
 
Looks like AMD is preparing for a sell off. Intel should just buy them and outright compete with Nvidia. That would be fun.
 
top management at AMD needs to go. they seem to only be interested in low power junk that no one really wants.
 
I can't wait for budget video cards to sell for $400.

Games will all be designed for Intel graphics.

AMD needs to get their shit together.

I don't budget video cards will go up to that price, for just the reason you mentioned - people would say "fuck that" and stick with their IGPs. dGPUs are nice, but aren't so critical to the operation of a computer that nvidia can hold the market hostage.
 
Intel should just buy them and outright compete with Nvidia. That would be fun.

Intel could just throw some billions into R&D and compete with Nvidia without buying ATI. The Intel brand of anything also has a better image than ATI anything. I hope Intel starts getting serious about graphics whether they buy ATi or not. If anyone could come out smashing all competition it'd be Intel.
 
Given AMD's financial situation, I think it's not surprising that they are not able to retain important talents. These talents come with a price and if AMD can't afford them, someone else will.

If AMD can't cough up a few hundred thousand to keep it's best people, then stick a fork in them. I think this is more the people leaving because they see the writing on the wall.
 
top management at AMD needs to go. they seem to only be interested in low power junk that no one really wants.

They're trying to find a market niche where the can sell products without having to fight off Intel because there's not enough value in competing there for a much bigger company. When VIA was doing the whole buy the ICT Centaur team and then sell its chips as Cyrix 3s and C-7m's or whatever they tried doing the same thing and look at where they are now...total zombie company. Like...IDK 3 years ago I posted this thing-y about how AMD was making the exact same mistakes by trying to do the whole low-power thing after they dropped out of the high end segment and that they were gonna end up as another "Huh? Who's VIA?" type company if they insisted on going down the same path. But whatever, I'm just a CreepyUncleGoogle who pretends to write a blog that has tons of industry insider insight from unnamed sources. What do I know? :D
 
Maybe nvidia offered Rogers a deal he could not refuse.
With mantle pushing DX12 into the light way early, nvidia might need his help to catch up.
 
Considering a lot of Nvidia users think AMD drivers are the worst, would it be smart to hire someone working for AMD for 21 years? Also doesn't Nvidia have driver issues with Windows 10? I hear they're buggy as hell.
 
Considering a lot of Nvidia users think AMD drivers are the worst, would it be smart to hire someone working for AMD for 21 years? Also doesn't Nvidia have driver issues with Windows 10? I hear they're buggy as hell.

AMD drivers do suck. He was not from the driver team. He's going to work on compute/server over at NVIDIA. Something AMD used to be good at.
 
He's going to the chief architect for Server and Compute. I assume he won't have much to do with gaming hardware for the most part (except maybe where Grid is concerned.) He may also bring some help to the table for all this Async Compute nonsense. Maybe he can squeeze a bit more (or fix what's broken) in the drivers for Maxwell. Who knows. Main point though is he probably won't be destroying the drivers as some mentioned above. (at least where we are concerened...)
 
Intel could just throw some billions into R&D and compete with Nvidia without buying ATI. The Intel brand of anything also has a better image than ATI anything. I hope Intel starts getting serious about graphics whether they buy ATi or not. If anyone could come out smashing all competition it'd be Intel.

I disagree. They could, but with AMD on sale now, why not just buy up the assets and get what's already a strong brand name? ATI has a good graphics pedigree that Intel could definitely piggyback off of.

For those saying it'll knock out competition on the CPU end, that's true, but:

1) AMD has not been competitive in most segments with Intel for a number of years.
2) Intel's main competition right now is ARM, not AMD.
 
Intel could just throw some billions into R&D and compete with Nvidia without buying ATI. The Intel brand of anything also has a better image than ATI anything. I hope Intel starts getting serious about graphics whether they buy ATi or not. If anyone could come out smashing all competition it'd be Intel.

Why would Intel want too? The discrete GPU market is too niche and small potatoes for Intel.
 
Since when?

Since Nvidia got a member that had something to do with it, so now we will give AMD praise because he no longer works for them! The logic is flawless!
 
I can't wait for budget video cards to sell for $400.

Games will all be designed for Intel graphics.

AMD needs to get their shit together.

So far, you are the only one that is observing the big picture.

And by the way, we are already getting a taste of this.

Just look how the 970's has barely com down in price since they were released almost a year ago.
 
nvidia drivers have been screwy. people just don't care

No, it's true, they occasionally release a screwy driver, but they're typically faster to fix problems than AMD, the problems (with the exception of the infamous fan driver) tend to be smaller, and they tend to break less older software in the process.

I tend to play a lot of id games fairly frequently, (and other older games) and AMD had huge, distracting transparency issues in their drivers for Tech 3 and 4 based games throughout nearly a whole product cycle. I bought an NV card just to play those games again, and haven't had issues since. (this was on 5xxx series AMD hardware so maybe it eventually got fixed, who knows, I've stayed green since...)

I'd have liked to dabble in AMD again, except the most recent cards are a little beyond what I like to pay for a video card these days (having other expensive hobbies...)
 
No, it's true, they occasionally release a screwy driver, but they're typically faster to fix problems than AMD, the problems (with the exception of the infamous fan driver) tend to be smaller, and they tend to break less older software in the process.

I tend to play a lot of id games fairly frequently, (and other older games) and AMD had huge, distracting transparency issues in their drivers for Tech 3 and 4 based games throughout nearly a whole product cycle. I bought an NV card just to play those games again, and haven't had issues since. (this was on 5xxx series AMD hardware so maybe it eventually got fixed, who knows, I've stayed green since...)

I'd have liked to dabble in AMD again, except the most recent cards are a little beyond what I like to pay for a video card these days (having other expensive hobbies...)

Still though, not really relevant in this situation with the position he's going to.
 
So far, you are the only one that is observing the big picture.

And by the way, we are already getting a taste of this.

Just look how the 970's has barely com down in price since they were released almost a year ago.

No one is responding because that is blind ignorance. AMD hasn't been relevant in CPU market for along time. We mostly all have Intel inside from 2500k's to the latest Skylake. And its not because AMD is competitive. The 970 regardless of MemoryGate ruled the middle card roost, forced AMD to price drop the 290/X until the 390 launch and is STILL highly competitive and still selling. Why price drop when the general public doesn't have faith in the competition??

And here is a little lesson in business. You would not sell a low end product for $400 do to the fact you would kill your own industry.(PC) No one would buy that card when you can get a PS4 for $350. If Intel sold middle range CPU for $500 and Nvidia low range GPU for $400, you just killed your whole industry. Not to mention that low end GPU costs around $50-70 bucks to make that you are making a big profit on at $180-200 retail
and selling higher QUANTITY of then the $500 cards.

You would also put a lot of parts suppliers like ASUS, EVGA, MSI, Gigabyte, etc out of business. So no, if AMD dies, the industry will keep strumming along. The sky will not fall. Basic business 101 and Macro/Micro Economics----Now free at your local community college. Check'em out. "Generation Google, WE know EVERYTHING!" :rolleyes:
 
Nvidia: "Mr. Rodgers, although it has been nice, we no longer want you as our neighbor. Please accept this offer"

No, I have nothing intelligent to offer this conversation.
 
No one is responding because that is blind ignorance. AMD hasn't been relevant in CPU market for along time. We mostly all have Intel inside from 2500k's to the latest Skylake. And its not because AMD is competitive. The 970 regardless of MemoryGate ruled the middle card roost, forced AMD to price drop the 290/X until the 390 launch and is STILL highly competitive and still selling. Why price drop when the general public doesn't have faith in the competition??

And here is a little lesson in business. You would not sell a low end product for $400 do to the fact you would kill your own industry.(PC) No one would buy that card when you can get a PS4 for $350. If Intel sold middle range CPU for $500 and Nvidia low range GPU for $400, you just killed your whole industry. Not to mention that low end GPU costs around $50-70 bucks to make that you are making a big profit on at $180-200 retail
and selling higher QUANTITY of then the $500 cards.

You would also put a lot of parts suppliers like ASUS, EVGA, MSI, Gigabyte, etc out of business. So no, if AMD dies, the industry will keep strumming along. The sky will not fall. Basic business 101 and Macro/Micro Economics----Now free at your local community college. Check'em out. "Generation Google, WE know EVERYTHING!" :rolleyes:

Basically, you just said there are forces outside their control that are forcing their prices to remain where they are and not go higher. However, if they could raise their prices without hurting them, they would do so in a single heartbeat.
 
AMD hasn't been relevant in CPU market for along time. We mostly all have Intel inside from 2500k's to the latest Skylake. And its not because AMD is competitive.
Right now a lot of i5's are priced around the FX-8350. The Skylake 6600K is a joke, but still costs more than the 4690K. Normally you'd see the 6600K take the price of the 4690K and all processors bellow it would drop in price, as they should. It's hard to justify buying the 6600K when you have so many alternatives like the Haswell's, Haswell-E's, and Boardwell-C. But because AMD has nothing in that range to compete with, the 6600K is barely an upgrade for Haswell owners and still costs more. If you're a 2500K owner, you laugh at all the Skylake owners, cause a simple overclock will get you nearly the same performance of a 6600K.

But AMD is relevant in the ultra low CPU market. And 8320 is better than buying i3. A 860K is better than buying a G3258. The 8350 is overpriced, and their Fusion chips are jokingly overpriced.
The 970 regardless of MemoryGate ruled the middle card roost, forced AMD to price drop the 290/X until the 390 launch and is STILL highly competitive and still selling. Why price drop when the general public doesn't have faith in the competition??
Considering the 390's just got released and DX12 games are still not out, that's the reason why people still buy the 970. Otherwise the 390 is a far better graphics card, especially when it comes to DX12/Vulkan games.

And here is a little lesson in business. You would not sell a low end product for $400 do to the fact you would kill your own industry.(PC) No one would buy that card when you can get a PS4 for $350. If Intel sold middle range CPU for $500 and Nvidia low range GPU for $400, you just killed your whole industry. Not to mention that low end GPU costs around $50-70 bucks to make that you are making a big profit on at $180-200 retail
and selling higher QUANTITY of then the $500 cards.
That's not how things are going to play out. If AMD were to fail, it's not like prices of graphic cards are going to go up. As it is already a GTX 950 or R7 265 is about $100 and faster than a PS4. If AMD fails, products will get incrementally better with incrementally higher prices. People won't upgrade, developers won't make demanding games, and we're all going to be stuck in terms of graphics evolution.
 
Considering the 390's just got released and DX12 games are still not out, that's the reason why people still buy the 970. Otherwise the 390 is a far better graphics card, especially when it comes to DX12/Vulkan games.

There are no DX12 or Vulkan games. So the 390 is better in games that don't exist on the market yet?

The 390 uses 100+ more watts than the 970 while not giving any significant performance. You are literally wasting money and electricity by buying a 390 over a 970.
 
I don't budget video cards will go up to that price, for just the reason you mentioned - people would say "fuck that" and stick with their IGPs. dGPUs are nice, but aren't so critical to the operation of a computer that nvidia can hold the market hostage.

These ideas about grabbing the market and holding it hostage with prices are a myth, yet people hold in their mind that's how things were before the government jumped in to save us, but in any professional economic debate, you would be laughed at for suggesting it as no actual proof has ever been shown. Standard oil is a big one people bring up, because of court cases and regulation that came about because of them, when really they were extremely efferent in operation and the new uses they found and developed from oil, yet at the same time, before any of those rulings and regulation took effect, Standard Oil had already dropped to only 25% market share because of new better competition. If they were to raise prices past what market will bare, no one will buy, if they raise them just below that, then profit margins would be very high and many other companies would jump into the market forcing them to compete.
 
These ideas about grabbing the market and holding it hostage with prices are a myth, yet people hold in their mind that's how things were before the government jumped in to save us, but in any professional economic debate, you would be laughed at for suggesting it as no actual proof has ever been shown. Standard oil is a big one people bring up, because of court cases and regulation that came about because of them, when really they were extremely efferent in operation and the new uses they found and developed from oil, yet at the same time, before any of those rulings and regulation took effect, Standard Oil had already dropped to only 25% market share because of new better competition. If they were to raise prices past what market will bare, no one will buy, if they raise them just below that, then profit margins would be very high and many other companies would jump into the market forcing them to compete.

I would maybe agree in a general sense, but oil is a commodity. High-end video cards are not. Not everyone can just start up a company that can compete with Nvidia, Intel, or AMD. Slightly different type of product. I agree with you that no one of these companies is going to just take over the market, jack prices into the stratosphere, etc. but I think it's more possible than it would be with your example.
 
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