AMD To Write Down ATI Assets

By Geoff Duncan December 12, 2007

AMD To Write Down ATI Assets

In a short filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, chipmaker AMD has revealed that it plans to write down a significant amount of the investment it made to buy video graphics developer ATI. AMD acquired ATI in 2006 for over $5 billion, and has now concluded that the "current carrying value of its goodwill…was impaired." In other words, ATI isn’t worth as much today as AMD thought it was when it made the acquisition.

So far, AMD is not being specific about the size of the write-off, saying only that it is unable to make an estimate in good faith. However, AMD executives will no doubt face tough questions from analysts and investors during a financial conference call today, and will no doubt be pressured to give more precise figures. Analysts generally expect a significant balance sheet adjustment, but doubt it will have a major impact on AMD’s cash holdings.

AMD has been facing difficulties with the ATI acquisition since Day One; ATI’s HD2000 video card line was delayed, and the company has alluded to significant issues with an unnamed mobile developer using ATI technology. AMD has also faced delays with its Quad Core Opteron line, and has lately been lagging behind chipmaker Intel in moving new products to the marketplace. AMD recently soldl an 8.1 percent stake in the company to a UAE investment firm for $622 million.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Computing

This curved gaming monitor is down to just $160 at Best Buy

The AOC G2 Series curved gaming monitor on a white background.

If you've spent most of your budget on gaming PC deals, you can still get a decent display for your setup with Best Buy's offer for the 24-inch AOC G2 Series curved gaming monitor. From an already affordable sticker price of $210, it's even cheaper at just $160 following a $50 discount. We're not sure how much time is remaining on this bargain though, so if you think this budget-friendly monitor is perfect for you, it's highly recommended that you complete the purchase as soon as possible.

Why you should buy the 24-inch AOC G2 Series curved gaming monitor
You shouldn't expect the 24-inch AOC G2 Series curved gaming monitor to match the performance and features of the best gaming monitors for its price, but it's still definitely a nice screen for playing the best PC games. Its size is within the recommended range of 24 inches to 32 inches by our computer monitor buying guide, and its Full HD resolution will provide sharp details and vivid colors. The monitor also offers an up to 165Hz refresh rate for fast frame transitions, a 1ms response time for blur-free scenes, and support for AMD's FreeSync Premium to eliminate screen tearing.

Computing

I tested Intel’s XeSS against AMD FSR — and the results speak for themselves

Intel Arc demo: Ryan Shrout plays Shadow of the Tomb Raider on a gaming PC.

AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) and Intel's Xe Super Sampling (XeSS) are two of the most prominent upscaling options you'll find in PC games, and for one simple reason: They work with any of the best graphics cards. Choosing between them isn't simple, however. There are some big differences in image quality and performance, even with the same graphics card and the same game.

We've been testing AMD FSR and Intel XeSS for months across various games, but it's time to compare them point for point. If you're looking for a simple answer on which is best, you w0n't find it here. However, we'll still dig into the nuances between FSR and XeSS and what you need to know about the two upscaling features.
AMD FSR vs. Intel XeSS: how they work

Computing

The sad reality of AMD’s next-gen GPUs comes into view

The AMD RX 7900 graphics card on a pink background.

For months now, various leakers agreed on one thing -- AMD is tapping out of the high-end GPU race in this generation, leaving Nvidia to focus on making the best graphics cards with no competitor. Today's new finding may confirm that theory, as the first RDNA 4 GPU to make an official appearance is one that has been speculated about for months: Navi48.

Following the typical naming convention for AMD, the flagship in the RDNA 4 generation should have been called Navi41 -- and it very well might have been, but according to various sources, that GPU will not be making an appearance in this generation. Hence, the flagship is now said to be the Navi48, and the latest finding shared by Kepler_L2 on X tells us that might indeed be the case.