So who is thought to be acquiring AMD now?

Oracle?

Apple?

Ford Motor Co.?

Donald Trump?

Nope, this week it’s Microsoft’s turn to be the buyer du jour. The logic behind the rumor is that Microsoft is concerned about the fiscal health of the supplier of its Xbox One SoC and wants to make sure no other nefarious buyers snap up the company.

It’s not a bad idea, because Microsoft does have a chip development business and if it fears for AMD’s ongoing survival, it would want to throw it a lifeline to keep its Xbox SoC provider alive. But given the write-off the company has taken in Surface tablets and will take for Nokia, I doubt Satya Nadella wants to go near a hardware company right now.

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