The tech community can smell that something is going on among Intel, NVIDIA and AMD (Advanced Micro Devices). There are just too many things going on between Intel and AMD, especially since the processor giant's licensing agreement with NVIDIA is said to expire in the first quarter of 2017.
There is no doubt that both GPU manufacturers are busy improving their line of products to work perfectly with the king of processors, but between the two, AMD seems to be sweetening up things a little bit with Intel.
Firstly, AMD recently introduced their most recent innovation for the gaming industry, the XConnect technology. This will allow Thunderbolt 3.0-equipped laptop owners to seamlessly add an external GPU enclosure to give additional boost in graphics when needed with XConnect-ready Radeon graphics cards, just like the Razer Core. The Thunderbolt 3.0 or USB Type -C connector is capable of transferring data up to 40Gb/sec, and was developed by Intel.
Secondly, Intel also recently unveiled one of its NUC (Next Unit of Computing), the Skull Canyon, which packs a Skylake Intel Core i7 processor chip. It is very portable, roughly the size of an 8-inch tablet. It comes with an Intel Iris Pro 580 graphics chip, but can be equipped with an AMD one. It also contains several connection ports, including Thunderbolt 3.0
Thirdly, Intel is currently discussing licensing agreement with AMD with its GPU patents and is at the negotiation table, as Extreme Tech reported.
At the moment, Intel and AMD are trying to change quite a few things in the gaming industry. Desktop computers are chosen above a laptop because of its gaming power, but with the advancement in technology and the team-up between the two tech giants, things are going to heat up.
Seeking Alpha added that Raja Koduri, senior vice president and chief architect of Radeon-AMD, said, "As innovators paving the way with an ingenious external GPU solution for notebooks, we look forward to creating a thriving ecosystem of notebooks enabled with AMD XConnect technology in collaboration with leading manufacturers."
Other reports also stated that there are already signs that there is a strong possibility that Intel and NVIDIA will part ways after March 17, 2017. Intel is said to be adopting the VESA Adaptive Snyc or Free Sync technology instead of paying royalty fees for the NVIDIA G-Sync.
Nobody knows yet what the extent of the negotiations are between Intel and AMD. Nobody knows either if Intel and NVIDIA will really call it quits, but one thing is for sure: the gaming community will definitely feel it in the near future.
