Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[blauboad]

I'd argue that AMD64 is exactly the kind of inflection point you're talking about. (The fact that to you, it is "seemingly inconsequential" only strengthens the case.)

No AMD64, then no EM64T. No EM64T, then everyone would have to follow Barret's yellow brick 64bit roadmap to Itanium, first servers and then everyone else.

Among other things, AMD singlehandedly saved Xeon from extinction. Intel fans should rejoice.

The least you can say is that it has had a much greater effect on Intel's plans than the original Athlon. Whether you want to qualify that as an "inflection point" is a matter of degree. Suffice it to say, things would be different without AMD64.