AMD has faced a class action lawsuit accusing the company for misleading consumers about the number of cores in processors based on the Bulldozer architecture. It had advertised that a given processor had eight cores, for example, when there were actually four - each core AMD-speak is really half the module, and could not act independently. As such, the bulldozer does not treat as many instructions at the same time as one would expect in an eight-core design actually. It had to be a disappointment if you were expecting an eight-way performance from your computer or gaming server.
AMD next architecture, Zen, represents the more conventional approach focusing on the simultaneous code threads within each core, similar to Intel Hyperthreading. It could lead to larger processors, but should be faster and eliminate all the discussions about what the core represents. The biggest problem is that AMD would have to pay a high price for its marketing mistake. Even in the home state of the trial in California, hordes of people purchased PC's based on bulldozer - if the plaintiffs prevail, it can lead to a hefty settlement payment.
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