Microsoft may be downplaying the fact that AMD helped to create the processor and system-on-a-chip design for its upcoming Xbox One console, but it"s certainly worth a lot of money to AMD. One former executive for the chip maker claims that the Xbox One hardware project may be worth more than previously thought.
Bob Feldstein, who is currently the Vice President of Technology Licensing at NVIDIA, posted word on his LinkedIn page about the projects he was a part of while he worked at AMD, While access to his Linkedin profile is limited, Gamechup has lifted what Feldstein has posted on the page.
Feldstein stated that while he worked as the corporate vice president of business development at AMD, he was in charge of "business management and supply agreement negotiations" concerning the Xbox One project. He added:
This required the coordination of multiple functional teams within AMD, as well as regular customer meetings with leadership teams responsible for handling the challenges of complex, muti-year deals. This project is valued at $3+B.
Yep, that"s a valuation of over $3 billion for AMD. Feldstein also worked on the project that brought a similar processor to Sony"s upcoming PlayStation 4 console, although he doesn"t state how much that was worth to the company.
AMD may not appreciate its former VP revealing some financial numbers about the Xbox One processor. Indeed, several months after Feldstein departed AMD for NVIDIA in July 2012, AMD filed a lawsuit against him and three other former employees. AMD claims they stole over 100,000 secret documents from the company.