Yeah. There are only three extant architectural license holders (Intel, AMD and VIA) and they're basically in a circular firing squad of patents.
To make their own chips, they'd need to either license from an existing holder (which wouldn't let them tinker unless it was a partnership or they acquired the license) or they'd need to make something so incredibly great the other three would trip over themselves to use it, and bind themselves in the process.
I’m not sure they can for this purpose. I remember people talking about the idea of buying AMD but it’s possible the license terms may say it doesn’t survive a purchase; making AMD or Via worthless for that purpose.
Unless the licensing terms are extremely lopsided, they'd still own AMD64 patents which EM64T is based on, and intel would need to strike a new deal. VIA's situation should be similar, but with other technologies.
I wonder if "non-transferable" covers tricks like Apple loaning AMD the cash for AMD to buy Apple. Then renaming the new AMD to Apple. Then it would pay itself back for the loans.
I vaguely remember that the licensing agreement between Intel and AMD (Intel licenses x86 to AMD, AMD licenses x86_64 to Intel) expires if AMD gets bought. Apple could renegotiate, but it would not be straightforward, I think.
> If they wanted to go x86 they would just buy VIA?
In theory, but then VIA is a subsidiary of Formosa Plastics Group, so they'd need to either negotiate the sale with an entity with which they've locked horns in the past or buy an entire petrochemical group???
To make their own chips, they'd need to either license from an existing holder (which wouldn't let them tinker unless it was a partnership or they acquired the license) or they'd need to make something so incredibly great the other three would trip over themselves to use it, and bind themselves in the process.