Rumor: Intel switches to AMD Radeon GPU license

The agreement between Intel and AMD to license Radeon GPU patents is complete, according to a rumor. The deal may replace a similar agreement between Intel and Nvidia, which expires next year.

The rumor comes from Kyle Bennett, MasterChef Editor at HardOCP, who is putting his hand to the fire for the authenticity of the news. “The licensing agreement between AMD and Intel has been finalized for the use of AMD’s GPU technology in Intel’s igp,” he writes.

It is not the first time that rumors of an agreement between AMD and Intel about GPU patents have been circulating. At the beginning of this year, Bloomberg already reported that negotiations about this were ongoing. Contrary to what the editor of HardOCP states, the actual use of Radeon technology in the integrated GPU of Intel’s chips may not be the subject of the agreement, Forbes notes.

Intel and Nvidia entered into a cross-patent agreement in 2011 after years of feuding over the use of patented technology. It is not that Intel uses specific technology from Geforce GPUs, but that it is insurmountable that when developing GPUs, techniques are used that Nvidia or AMD have patents on. That agreement with Nvidia expires in March 2017. The deal with AMD may serve as a replacement, to ensure that Intel’s use of GPU technologies is under a valid license.

Intel faces stronger competition from Nvidia as both companies increasingly focus on chips for data centers and the automotive market. At the same time, AMD has become a less formidable competitor due to continued poor performance in the PC market, although the company is trying to regain ground with the upcoming Zen processors. A licensing deal would give AMD a much-needed new source of revenue: Nvidia and Intel were worth $1.5 billion.