> I hope AMD doesn't copy this. Intel has been on a downwards trend recently and maybe this is just a dumb, desperate move from them. As you say the landscape is getting more competitive, which is a good thing for consumers.

IDK. EPYCs board-lock to boards with Platform by blowing e-fuses. In some ways that's a bit more painful. (I get that it supposedly provides a Secure Boot. OTOH HP has supposedly done similar without having to blow the fuses.)