[gnoway]

I'm not sure this is all the design team's fault.

I remember reading an article a while back re: changes from hand-drawn manual layout to automated layout methods for the chips. The assertion was that manual layout is often better for compute performance, while automated layout makes more efficient use of die area.

AMD, of course, spun off GlobalFoundries years ago and now pays a 3rd party to fab their processors. They also led the charge to incorporate graphics cores into the same die, and modern GPUs are very transistor-intensive.

Basically, I would not be surprised if this is as much about process as it is about design.