Why is everyone so upset at this timeline? Was AMD previously claiming Vega would launch sooner, or is it just that people were hoping for sooner and are disappointed?
I'm not into spending all that much for GPUs, so I couldn't really be bothered, but for what it's worth I'm guessing this all has to do with Zen.
Most likely, GlobalFoundries will be the deciding factor for whether Vega is launched in Q1 or Q2 or later... It is essential that GF optimise their process for Zen, because that's where the money is.
If AMD/GF succeed in Zen it will be huge. Even if Vega came out tomorrow and was super-fast, grabbing 100% market share from the 1070/1080, it would still be peanuts compared to the money Zen can make in comparison.
If Zen is a success and yields are good, Vega will come out as soon as enough Zen chips have been manufactured to saturate Zen demand.
If Zen is a failure, there will probably no longer be an AMD around and Vega will be released by whomever buys RTG.
I'm not into spending all that much for GPUs, so I couldn't really be bothered, but for what it's worth I'm guessing this all has to do with Zen.
Most likely, GlobalFoundries will be the deciding factor for whether Vega is launched in Q1 or Q2 or later... It is essential that GF optimise their process for Zen, because that's where the money is.
If AMD/GF succeed in Zen it will be huge. Even if Vega came out tomorrow and was super-fast, grabbing 100% market share from the 1070/1080, it would still be peanuts compared to the money Zen can make in comparison.
If Zen is a success and yields are good, Vega will come out as soon as enough Zen chips have been manufactured to saturate Zen demand.
If Zen is a failure, there will probably no longer be an AMD around and Vega will be released by whomever buys RTG.