AMD settles Bulldozer class action lawsuit for $12.1 million

When was the last time you heard about the AMD Bulldozer architecture? Once hoped by some to "bulldoze" over Intel, this architecture definitely didn't live up to expectations. Now we hear that AMD has settled a lawsuit over false advertising. In particular, this concerns the number of cores found on the Bulldozer chips.

As we reported a couple of years ago, lawyers launched a class-action against AMD, alleging that AMD lied to consumers because what the company claims is a "core" is not fully independent but shares execution resources with other "cores".

At the start of the year, a California judge rejected AMD's claim that "a significant majority" of buyers understood the term "core" the same way it did. Now The Register reports that AMD decided to settle the Bulldozer lawsuit for $12.1 million.

Assuming a 20 percent take-up by eligible purchasers, the lawyers calculated that customers can get a $35 compensation from AMD:

Considering the number of processors sold and assuming a 20 per cent take-up by eligible purchasers, that works out to $35 a chip, the preliminary agreement argues: a figure that is “significantly more than 50 per cent of the value of their certified claims had they prevailed at trial.”

It’s a good deal, the agreement [PDF] explains, because of the “risks and expenses that further litigation would pose in this case.”

The proposed settlement covers the FX-8120, FX-8150, FX-8320, FX-8350, FX-8370, FX-9370, and FX-9590. It compromises all individuals who purchased one of these chips while residing in California or after visiting the AMD.com website. More details about how to claim the refund will follow later.