What you need to know
- TSMC needed a server solution for its manufacturing operations.
- TSMC opted for AMD's EPYC processors.
- This development means that TSMC is a customer of its own customer, AMD.
AMD unveiled a press release detailing that TSMC is now a customer of its EPYC processors, which are powerful CPUs typically reserved for datacenters.
In the press release, AMD points out that TSMC is the manufacturer of its EPYC chips, among other processors such as Ryzen and Ryzen Threadripper. And now, not only does AMD work with TSMC in a buyer-seller (of services) capacity but also a seller-buyer capacity. It's a big, tech-fueled circle.
The release details that AMD wasn't immediately chosen as the processor provider based simply on the fact that its powerful chips were being made in the facilities of the very company looking for datacenter-scaled CPUs.
Simon Wang, the director of the infrastructure and communication services division at TSMC, had the following quote in the press release: "For our general workloads, memory density is a clear advantage of AMD EPYC processors." Wang is quoted a lot more throughout the full spread and gives additional insights into why TSMC ultimately went with AMD.
This can be considered one more notch on AMD's belt as it continues its years-in-the-making comeback and will hopefully enable a continually strong partnership with TSMC to ensure it's able to keep outputting some of the best graphics cards for gaming. As is known, TSMC is the global market leader in semiconductor manufacturing, so having good relationships with the company at a time when semiconductor shortages are at an all-time high is a valuable business asset.
