AMD and ATI merger
 

AMD certainly comes across as more friendly on the open source side of things, so at least maybe this will finally spark some decent Linux support from ATI.

Didn't AMD buy ATi? That's not a merger.

yep AMD bought ATI for $5.4 billion in cash and shares.

So, is this a good thing? Does it mean we'll be seeing ATI chipsets for integrated graphics in most AMD computers? Will ATI be just as strong a contender for high-end gaming graphics chips as before, or is NVIDIA now a clear step ahead of all other graphics chip producers?

we don't know how it will turn out for now...

huh?? i think we'll see ATI chipsets for integrated graphics and ati-chipsets in general a lot more. AMD probably wanted to get back into the chipset business since intel can make their own chipsets (remember, AMD used to, but they stopped during the athlon xp era).

i think this could strengthen ati's position - they have access to new technology (and hopefully some power-saving techniques - their graphics cards are really hot-running).

ATI is also a fabless company. They do not fabricate their own GPU's and therefore rely on a third party. Dedicated fabs, like AMD's State of the art fab in Germany and the new fab in NY means more reliable and cheaper chips. Also, AMD has a bright future with lots of growth potential. It was a battle for AMD against the endless pockets and marketing of Intel, but now that they have an undeniable market presence and gamer following, there can only be good things to come. And as Rushjet said, chipsets mean alot for AMD. Not only on the desktop side either. Having dedicated chipset support means alot for enterprise and server customers that rely on faultless operation 24/7. Having greater chipset support provides better reassurance for customers in the corporate sector.