By seeking a $2,000m anti-trust suit Advanced Micro Devices is believed to be making a theatrical gesture for the benefit of Intel Corp chip users sheepish about ditching Intel as their supplier for 80386 chips. AMD is attempting to legally test charges frequently made informally against Intel that it abuses its monopoly of the microprocessor that dominates the personal computer market by sharing out scarce chips improperly – that is by tying the sale of the hugely popular 80386 to sales of older 80286 chips. Intel is also charged with unfairly crowding competitors out of the market. Intel chief Andy Grove struck out against the suit, ever the sophist, he called AMD the Milli Vanilli of semiconductors. Continuing, he said their last original idea was to copy Intel. Since they can’t win in the marketplace, they try to defeat us in the courts and press.
