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AMD's Navi, Arden Graphics Technology May Have Been Stolen in Hack

The chip maker is working with law enforcement to track down the suspect, who’s threatening to leak more of the stolen information on the internet.

 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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AMD's graphics technology has been stolen and posted online. Though this intellectual property “is not core to the competitiveness or security” of the company’s graphics products, the chip maker says it's working with law enforcement to track down the suspect. 

“In December 2019, we were contacted by someone who claimed to have test files related to a subset of our current and future graphics products, some of which were recently posted online,” AMD said in a statement on Wednesday. Although the files have been taken down, AMD says the culprit may have stolen other information that could be leaked to the public. 

The leaks appear to be tied to files dumped on GitHub, a Microsoft-owned platform that hosts computer coding projects.  This past weekend, a user on GitHub claimed to have uploaded the source code for AMD’s Arden GPU technology, which is slated to be used in the upcoming Xbox Series X video game console.  


DMCA takedown notice on Github

The same user also posted the alleged source code to AMD’s Navi 10 and Navi 21 architecture, which will be used in the company’s PC Radeon graphics cards. Whether the files are legit remains unknown. However, AMD filed two DMCA notices to force GitHub to remove the files for violating the chip maker's copyrights. 

The culprit behind the leak spoke with TorrentFreak, and claims to have stolen the GPU source code from a computer she hacked. “The source code was unexpectedly achieved from an unprotected computer/server through some exploits. I later found out about the files inside it. They weren’t even protected properly or even encrypted with anything, which is just sad,” she told the publication. 

In an email, the hacker also messaged PCMag and said: “I haven’t spoken about AMD about it (the breach) because I am pretty sure instead of accepting their mistake and moving on, they will try to sue me, so why not just leak it to everyone.”

AMD did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, the company's statement notes that it's "not aware of the perpetrator possessing any other AMD IP."

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About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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