Intel Accuses AMD Of Peddling 'Snake Oil' CPUs In A Brief Yet Blistering Attack

In a recent skirmish between semiconductor giants, Intel Corporation INTC has publicly accused its rival AMD Inc. AMD of misleading consumers. The accusation, which was targeted at AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series mobile processors, came to light in a since-deleted presentation by Intel.

What Happened: As reported by The Verge on Tuesday, Intel’s scathing presentation targeted AMD’s Ryzen 5 7520U mobile processor, criticizing its naming system as a means of “selling half-truths to unsuspecting customers”. The presentation alleged that AMD’s latest Ryzen 7000 series, despite being launched last year, uses a misleading naming scheme that suggests modernity. They are based on AMD’s older Zen 2 architecture, not the latest Zen 4. “The Ryzen 5 7520U is built on dated Zen 2 architecture released in 2019! AMD's old architecture is hidden in plain sight!” Intel proclaimed in the presentation.

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Interestingly, a slide in the presentation compared AMD’s processor naming tactics to selling snake oil, a term synonymous with deceptive marketing. However, Intel did not address its past of confusing processor naming schemes in the presentation. In its history, Intel has launched a processor with a decreased core count and later abandoned process node naming for its third-generation 10nm chips, choosing instead to name them “Intel 7”.

Following its media attention, the presentation was promptly removed from Intel’s official website.

Why It Matters: The public accusation by Intel sets a new tone in the ongoing competition between the two semiconductor giants. While each company has its unique approach to marketing and product naming, public accusations of deception are not common in the industry. This incident marks a significant escalation in the rivalry between Intel and AMD and will likely impact their relationship.

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