History of AMD in Timeline

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is a multinational semiconductor company based in California. AMD designs and manufactures a variety of computer components, including CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, and SoCs. Their products are used in PCs, gaming consoles, data centers, and embedded systems, serving both consumer and business markets. AMD is known for its competition with Intel in the CPU market and Nvidia in the GPU market.

1959: First silicon integrated circuit at Fairchild

In 1959, Robert Noyce developed the first silicon integrated circuit at Fairchild.

July 1968: Intel Founded

In July 1968, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore founded the semiconductor company Intel.

May 1, 1969: AMD incorporated

On May 1, 1969, Advanced Micro Devices was formally incorporated by Jerry Sanders, along with seven of his colleagues from Fairchild Semiconductor.

September 1969: AMD moved to Sunnyvale

In September 1969, AMD moved from its temporary location in Santa Clara to its new headquarters in Sunnyvale.

November 1969: First product manufactured

In November 1969, AMD manufactured its first product: the Am9300, a 4-bit MSI shift register.

1969: AMD founded

In 1969, AMD was founded by Jerry Sanders and a group of his fellow Fairchild Semiconductor colleagues.

1970: First proprietary product

In 1970, AMD produced its first proprietary product, the Am2501 logic counter.

1971: Entered RAM chip market

In 1971, AMD entered the RAM chip market with the Am3101, a 64-bit bipolar RAM, and increased sales volume of its linear integrated circuits, reaching US$4.6 million in total annual sales.

1971: Am2505 bestselling product

In 1971, AMD's bestselling product was the Am2505, the fastest multiplier available.

1971: Intel created the first microprocessor

In 1971, Intel created the first microprocessor, the 4-bit 4004.

September 1972: AMD went public

In September 1972, AMD went public.

1973: Second source for Intel MOS/LSI circuits

By 1973, AMD was a second source for Intel MOS/LSI circuits, producing products such as Am14/1506 and Am14/1507, dual 100-bit dynamic shift registers.

1975: Entry into microprocessor market

By 1975, AMD entered the microprocessor market with the Am9080, a clone of the Intel 8080, and the Am2900 bit-slice microprocessor family.

1975: Produced 212 products

By 1975, AMD was producing 212 products, including proprietary chips like the Am9102 and low-power Schottky MSI circuits.

October 1976: Cross-licensing agreement with Intel

In October 1976, Intel and AMD entered into a cross-licensing agreement where AMD was granted a copyright license to the microcode in its microprocessors and peripherals.

1976: AMD–Intel cross-licensing agreement

In 1976, AMD and Intel had a cross-licensing agreement.

1977: Joint venture with Siemens

In 1977, AMD entered into a joint venture with Siemens, purchasing 20% of AMD's stock and establishing Advanced Micro Computers (AMC).

1978: Intel introduced the first x86 microprocessors

In 1978, Intel introduced the first x86 microprocessors.

1978: Total sales topped $100 million

In fiscal year 1978, AMD's total sales topped $100 million.

1979: AMD bought out Siemens' stake in AMC

In 1979, AMD bought out Siemens' stake in the American division of Advanced Micro Computers (AMC).

1979: AMD debuted on the New York Stock Exchange

In 1979, AMD debuted on the New York Stock Exchange and began production at its new semiconductor fabrication plant in Austin, Texas.

1980: Began supplying semiconductor products for telecommunications

In 1980, AMD began supplying semiconductor products for telecommunications.

October 1981: AMD and Intel signed technology exchange agreement

In October 1981, Intel and AMD first signed a 10-year technology exchange agreement.

1981: Construction on fabrication plant in San Antonio began

In 1981, AMD began construction on a fabrication plant in San Antonio.

1981: AMD closed Advanced Micro Computers

In late 1981, AMD closed Advanced Micro Computers (AMC) after switching focus to manufacturing second-source Intel x86 microprocessors.

February 1982: AMD Becomes Second-Source Manufacturer for Intel

In February 1982, AMD signed a contract with Intel to become a licensed second-source manufacturer of 8086 and 8088 processors, which were to be used in IBM PCs.

February 1982: Technology exchange agreement formally executed

In February 1982, Intel and AMD's 10-year technology exchange agreement was formally executed, enabling AMD to become a second-source manufacturer of Intel's x86 microprocessors.

1982: Began volume-producing Intel-licensed processors

Beginning in 1982, AMD started volume-producing second-source Intel-licensed 8086, 8088, 80186, and 80188 processors.

1984: Am286 clone of Intel's 80286 processor

By 1984, AMD was producing its own Am286 clone of Intel's 80286 processor.

1984: World's first 512K EPROM

In 1984, AMD created the world's first 512K EPROM.

1984: Intel Halts Cooperation with AMD

In 1984, Intel made an internal decision to stop cooperating with AMD regarding product information, aiming to strengthen its market advantage. They delayed and eventually refused to provide technical details for the Intel 80386.

1985: Microchip market downturn

By mid-1985, the microchip market experienced a severe downturn due to aggressive trade practices from Japan and a crowded chip market in the U.S.

1985: Intel Releases its x386 Processor

Facing uncertainty during the legal dispute with Intel, AMD developed clean room designed versions of Intel code for its x386 and x486 processors, the former long after Intel had released its own x386 in 1985.

1985: Fortune 500 list for the first time

In 1985, AMD made the Fortune 500 list for the first time.

1986: Shift towards RISC

Beginning in 1986, AMD embraced the perceived shift toward RISC with its own AMD Am29000 (29k) processor and increased its EPROM memory market share.

1986: Liberty Chip program devised

In 1986, AMD devised the Liberty Chip program and heavily lobbied the U.S. government to prevent predatory Japanese pricing during the microchip market crisis.

1987: AMD Invokes Arbitration Against Intel

In 1987, AMD initiated arbitration proceedings against Intel after Intel canceled the 1982 technological-exchange agreement. This followed Intel's refusal to share technical details of the Intel 80386.

1990: Intel Countersues AMD, Renegotiating Microcode Rights

In 1990, Intel countersued AMD, renegotiating AMD's right to use derivatives of Intel's microcode for its cloned processors.

March 1991: AMD Releases Am386 Processor

In March 1991, AMD released the Am386, which is its clone of the Intel 386 processor.

1991: Introduced 386-compatible Am386 chip

In 1991, AMD introduced its 386-compatible Am386, an AMD-designed chip, allowing it to directly compete with Intel.

1992: AMD Wins Arbitration Against Intel

After three years of testimony, in 1992 AMD prevailed in arbitration against Intel regarding the sharing of technological information. However, Intel disputed the decision.

1993: AMD Introduces Am486 Family of Processors

In 1993, AMD introduced the Am486 family of processors which gained popularity, leading to an exclusive agreement with Compaq.

1993: co-manufacturing flash memory with Fujitsu

Since 1993, AMD had been co-manufacturing flash memory with Fujitsu

1994: Supreme Court Sides with AMD in Dispute with Intel

In 1994, the Supreme Court of California sided with AMD and the arbitrator, concluding a long legal battle between AMD and Intel.

November 1995: AMD Releases Am5x86 Processor

In November 1995, AMD released the Am5x86, a fast and cost-effective processor based on the Am486 architecture.

1995: End of AMD-Intel cross-licensing agreement

In 1995, the AMD-Intel cross-licensing agreement ended.

January 1996: Acquisition of NexGen

In January 1996, AMD acquired NexGen for $857 million to develop what eventually became AMD K6.

1996: AMD Receives Rights to Intel Microcode

Effective in 1996, AMD acquired the rights to the microcode in Intel's x386 and x486 processor families, but not for subsequent generations of processors.

1996: AMD Purchases NexGen

In 1996, AMD acquired NexGen, gaining the rights to its Nx series of x86-compatible processors.

1996: AMD Launches K5 Processor

In 1996, AMD launched its first in-house x86 processor, the K5. The name K5 was a reference to Kryptonite, alluding to Intel's market dominance.

1997: AMD Introduces K6 Processor

In 1997, AMD introduced the K6 processor, which was the result of reworking NexGen's Nx686 design. Certain variants of the K6 outperformed Intel's Pentium II processor.

June 23, 1999: AMD Launches Athlon Processor

On June 23, 1999, AMD launched the K7 processor under the brand name Athlon. The Athlon processor required a different motherboard than Intel's due to licensing issues, using a Slot A connector instead of Intel's Slot 1 connector.

2000: Sempron Released as a lower-cost Athlon XP

Sempron was released as a lower-cost Athlon XP, replacing Duron in the socket A PGA era

October 9, 2001: AMD Releases Athlon XP Processor

On October 9, 2001, AMD released the Athlon XP processor.

February 10, 2003: AMD Releases Athlon XP with 512 KB L2 Cache

On February 10, 2003, AMD released the Athlon XP processor with 512 KB of L2 Cache.

April 22, 2003: AMD Launches Opteron Server Processor

On April 22, 2003, AMD launched the Opteron server-oriented processor, which was the initial launch of the K8 architecture. This included 64-bit extension to the x86 instruction set, an on-chip memory controller, and HyperTransport technology.

2003: Flash memory business spun off

In 2003, AMD spun off its flash memory business and manufacturing into Spansion, a joint venture with Fujitsu.

April 21, 2005: AMD Releases First Dual-Core Opteron CPU

On April 21, 2005, AMD released the first dual-core Opteron, which is an x86-based server CPU.

December 2005: AMD divested itself of Spansion

In December 2005, AMD divested itself of Spansion to focus on the microprocessor market, and Spansion went public in an IPO.

July 24, 2006: Acquisition of ATI Technologies announced

On July 24, 2006, AMD announced its acquisition of the Canadian 3D graphics card company ATI Technologies for $5.4 billion.

October 25, 2006: ATI Technologies acquisition completed

On October 25, 2006, the acquisition of ATI Technologies by AMD was completed.

2006: AMD Announces Fusion Initiative

Following AMD's 2006 acquisition of ATI Technologies, it was announced that a new initiative called Fusion would take place to integrate a CPU and GPU together on some of AMD's microprocessors. The Fusion initiative was later renamed the AMD APU (Accelerated Processing Unit).

May 2007: AMD Drops "64" from Dual-Core Desktop Product Branding

In May 2007, AMD stopped including "64" in its dual-core desktop product branding, becoming Athlon X2, to downplay the importance of 64-bit computing in its processors. Updates also involved improvements to the microarchitecture.

September 2007: AMD Releases Server Opteron K10 Processors

In September 2007, AMD released the first server Opteron K10 processors. The Opteron K10 processor was followed in November by the Phenom processor for desktop.

July 2008: Hector Ruiz stepped down as CEO of AMD

In July 2008, AMD's CEO Hector Ruiz stepped down in preparation for becoming chairman of GlobalFoundries.

October 2008: Plans to spin off manufacturing operations

In October 2008, AMD announced plans to spin off manufacturing operations in the form of GlobalFoundries Inc.

2008: AMD Releases Dual-Core Sempron Processors in China

In 2008, AMD began releasing dual-core Sempron processors exclusively in China, branding them as the Sempron 2000 series. These processors featured lower HyperTransport speed and smaller L2 cache.

January 2009: AMD Releases Phenom II Processor Line

In January 2009, AMD released a new processor line called Phenom II, which was a refresh of the original Phenom built using the 45 nm process. The Phenom II came in dual-core, triple-core and quad-core variants, all using the same die, with cores disabled for the triple-core and dual-core versions.

March 2009: Hector Ruiz became chairman of GlobalFoundries

In March 2009, Hector Ruiz became chairman of GlobalFoundries.

2009: GlobalFoundries spun off

In 2009, AMD outsourced its manufacturing after GlobalFoundries was spun off.

April 2010: AMD Releases Phenom II Hexa-Core Processor

In April 2010, AMD released a new Phenom II Hexa-core (6-core) processor named Thuban. It included AMD's "turbo core" technology, which allows the processor to automatically switch from 6 cores to 3 faster cores when more pure speed is needed.

August 30, 2010: ATI brand name retired

On August 30, 2010, AMD announced that it would retire the ATI brand name for its graphics chipsets in favor of the AMD brand name.

2010: AMD Released Magny Cours and Lisbon Server Parts

In 2010, AMD released the Magny Cours and Lisbon server parts. The Magny Cours part came in 8 to 12 cores, and the Lisbon part in 4 and 6 core parts.

August 2011: Rory Read joined as CEO

In August 2011, AMD announced that former Lenovo executive Rory Read would be joining the company as CEO, replacing Meyer.

November 2011: Plans to lay off employees

In November 2011, AMD announced plans to lay off more than 10% (1,400) of its employees from across all divisions worldwide.

October 2012: Announced plans to lay off additional workforce

In October 2012, AMD announced plans to lay off an additional 15% of its workforce to reduce costs in the face of declining sales revenue.

2012: Acquired SeaMicro

In early 2012, AMD acquired the low-power server manufacturer SeaMicro with an eye to bringing out an Arm64 server chip.

July 1, 2014: AMD Reorganized into Two Business Groups

Effective July 1, 2014, AMD reorganized its business into two main groups: Computing and Graphics, focusing on desktop and notebook processors, chipsets, discrete GPUs, and professional graphics; and Enterprise, Embedded, and Semi-Custom, focusing on server and embedded processors, dense servers, semi-custom SoC products (including gaming console solutions), engineering services, and royalties.

October 8, 2014: Lisa Su became CEO

On October 8, 2014, AMD announced that Rory Read had stepped down as president and chief executive officer, and Lisa Su succeeded him.

October 16, 2014: AMD Announces New Restructuring Plan

On October 16, 2014, AMD announced a new restructuring plan as part of its Q3 results. This involved reorganizing into two business groups: Computing and Graphics, and Enterprise, Embedded, and Semi-Custom. Also, 7% of the global workforce would be laid off by the end of 2014.

August 2016: AMD Moves Headquarters to Santa Clara

In August 2016, AMD relocated its headquarters after 47 years in Sunnyvale, signing a lease with the Irvine Company for a new building in Santa Clara. Simultaneously, AMD agreed to sell its Sunnyvale location to the Irvine Company.

April 2019: Plans Approved to Demolish 1 AMD Place

In April 2019, the Irvine Company received approval from the Sunnyvale City Council to demolish 1 AMD Place and redevelop the 32-acre site into townhomes and apartments.

October 2020: AMD Announces Acquisition of Xilinx

In October 2020, AMD announced its intent to acquire Xilinx, a leader in field programmable gate arrays and complex programmable logic devices (FPGAs and CPLDs), in an all-stock transaction.

February 2022: AMD Completes Acquisition of Xilinx

In February 2022, AMD finalized its acquisition of Xilinx for an estimated price of $50 billion.

2022: Market capitalization surpassed Intel's

In 2022, AMD surpassed Intel by market capitalization for the first time.

2022: Xilinx acquisition

In 2022, AMD's acquisition of Xilinx allowed the company to offer field-programmable gate array (FPGA) products.

January 2024: AMD Discontinues Production of CPLDs

In January 2024, AMD announced it would discontinue the production of complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs) acquired through Xilinx.

March 2024: AMD's Valuation Exceeds $300B

In March 2024, a surge in semiconductor stocks propelled AMD's valuation above $300 billion for the first time.

July 2024: AMD Announces Acquisition of Silo AI

In July 2024, AMD announced it would acquire Silo AI, a Finnish-based artificial intelligence start-up, in a $665 million all-cash deal. This acquisition aims to enhance AMD's competitiveness in the AI chip market against leader Nvidia.

August 2024: AMD to Acquire ZT Systems

In August 2024, AMD entered into an agreement to acquire ZT Systems for $4.9 billion. ZT Systems creates custom computing infrastructure used for AI tasks.

2024: AMD Made Significant Gains in the Server CPU Market

Since early 2024, AMD has made significant gains in the server CPU market, reducing the gap with Intel.

June 2025: AMD Unveils AI Server for 2026, MI400 Series Chips

In June 2025, AMD unveiled the AI server for 2026, the MI400 series of chips, which will be the basis of a new server called "Helios".

July 2025: AMD Gains in Server CPU Market

As of July 2025, AMD holds 36.5% of the server CPU market while Intel holds 63.3%. This represents a strong upward trend for AMD.

October 2025: AMD Agrees to Sell AI Processors to OpenAI, Stake Contingent on Performance

In October 2025, AMD announced it had agreed a deal with OpenAI to sell six gigawatts of its AI processors over the next five years. OpenAI has the option to acquire a 10 per cent stake in AMD contingent on meeting undisclosed performance targets.