They’re not going to switch to Intel x86 processors. They’d simply have Intel make (fab) processors that Apple designs.
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Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone
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They’re not going to switch to Intel x86 processors. They’d simply have Intel make (fab) processors that Apple designs.
They? That'll happen when "they" is no longer interested in Apple having 1+ Billion active and repeat customers, and no longer wanting Apple to be one of the most successful consumer tech companies in the world.
Apple should partner/buy Intel and put HUGE pressure on X86 once and for all.
Microsoft's reluctance to fully embrace Arm tech at the OS level is ridiculous. Seems like the know it could be disastrous for their bottom line. How unfocused can a massive tech company be?
Microsoft's reluctance to fully embrace Arm tech at the OS level is ridiculous. Seems like the know it could be disastrous for their bottom line. How unfocused can a massive tech company be?
Like I said previously, let's hope Intel doesn't screw this up. This is a great opportunity for both Apple, Intel and consumers. having just TSMC as basically being the sole provider of high end chips is not good for anyone. If not Intel, Samsung or anyone else. Hopefully Apple also gives Samsung another shot, but having an American company as far as diversification goes, let's hope Intel can pull it off without screwing up ..again.
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If Intel is just fabricating the design, then I don't see the harm. This diversifies chip manufacturing strictly held by TSMC which I'm presuming from Apple's point of view may stabilize supply chain and gives some potential leverage in chip contracts?
Yeah, it especially makes zero sense from a business perspective, Apple can't be solely reliant on a single company to fab their chips with goals for growth. Nevermind the political reasoning, they have to have a backup plan that isn't a backward step. If Apple Silicon coming out of an Intel fab meets all the specs and quality control as TSMC produced product, I don't see the issue.
On the somewhat political side, I don't really have a problem with an American company propping up an American company in the short term. I don't believe in "too big to fail," but loosing Intel would be very bad for the US from a production capability perspective.
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I believe in giving Intel a shot and hoping they don't screw it up, but am 100% for seeing them go under if they keep screwing up. It may actually seed the talent to go elsewhere and start another company. That's how Intel was formed, from leaving an existing company and showing they could do better. The demand is there, looking at AI development, shows demand is there and money is willing and able. Seeing Intel fail would not be the end of the world, it would be opportunity for someone else. Seeing them artificially propped up would be the worst possible outcome as it screws over true American competition.
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Chipgate 2.0
A22 Chip Battle!
Intel
vs
TSMC (current reigning champion)
TSMC bested Samsung during the A9 Chip Battle. TSMC was cooler and more efficient than Samsung, which gave around 3% more real-world battery life. I still remember how nobody wanted the less efficient Samsung version. Will history repeat itself? I believe it will.
A22 Chip Battle!
Intel
vs
TSMC (current reigning champion)
TSMC bested Samsung during the A9 Chip Battle. TSMC was cooler and more efficient than Samsung, which gave around 3% more real-world battery life. I still remember how nobody wanted the less efficient Samsung version. Will history repeat itself? I believe it will.
The Original Mac (128k) used an Intel chip ...
... in the keyboard, as the keyboard controller.
Don't you think Apple has already considered it from a business perspective? From a business perspective, Apple already tried Intel. They moved away from their processors and modems.
If Apple feels they need a backup plan, they can invest part of their trillions of dollars into domestic fabs.
The forced marriage between Apple and Intel has nothing to do with business and everything to do with orders from the White House.
Yep. And it's screws true competition. If you are artificially propping up, and giving favoritism towards one company instead of letting it die and letting others give it a shot it is a lose-lose situation, everyone loses. But Intel is not dead yet. Let's hope they can pull this off.
With all the R&D Apple put into developing and making the M chip, they'd move back to Intel?
Surely not, right?
Surely not, right?
We're not talking about Apple using Intel designed chips/products. We're talking about Apple using Intel's production/fabrication capability... that's a totally different business segment from Intel's branded processor/silicon products. Lot's of other companies use Intel to fab non Intel chips: Microsoft, Amazon, MediaTek, Boeing and other national defense providers, all use Intel as a fabricator for their custom silicon needs.
The national defence segment is why Intel needs to be propped up. That business alone is not enough to support the manufacturing side of their business, but without it the US would be reliant on overseas companies to fab sensitive/top secret chip designs which is obviously not possible. Even if Intel were to fail/divest/split up, there would be a years long capacity vacuum before anyone else could catch back up.
I don’t know much about the fab industry but isn’t AMD also spinning up a 2nm fab in Arizona? I wonder whether Apple explored that option as well, or maybe AMD’s 2nm fab isn’t going to be ready soon enough for Apple’s timescales and/or won’t have the spare capacity that Apple needs so was never an option.
As others have stated - obviously this would be a case of Intel providing fab services to make Apple designed chips.
At the time of Apple’s transition to the M series, Intel stated their hope that they might provide such fab services to Apple in the future and Apple left open the possibility. At the same time, Intel also stated their intention to move in the fab market of producing other people’s chips in parallel with their own.
So, nothing unanticipated or shocking about this possibility.
Also clearly reported on for some years now is that Intel made a significant investment in ASML in exchange for exclusive early access to the next generation of lithography machines. Since ASML has fully monopolized the high end of the lithography market, as long as Intel can execute implementation of said next generation machines without significantly more difficultly than other chip fab players that may come along behind, then Intel will be opening up a significant lead in the coming generation of chip technology for at least a few years. That story was set in motion a couple years ago or so, and now it looks like it is starting to play out as Intel planned.
If it does, then Apple will need to go to Intel for the latest generation of chip technology in the time frame discussed in this article. And to make that happen, they will have to start preparing now, so this story seems to be pretty much what should have been expected, right at about the time it should have been expected.
www.datacenterdynamics.com
www.datacenterdynamics.com
www.asml.com
At the time of Apple’s transition to the M series, Intel stated their hope that they might provide such fab services to Apple in the future and Apple left open the possibility. At the same time, Intel also stated their intention to move in the fab market of producing other people’s chips in parallel with their own.
So, nothing unanticipated or shocking about this possibility.
Also clearly reported on for some years now is that Intel made a significant investment in ASML in exchange for exclusive early access to the next generation of lithography machines. Since ASML has fully monopolized the high end of the lithography market, as long as Intel can execute implementation of said next generation machines without significantly more difficultly than other chip fab players that may come along behind, then Intel will be opening up a significant lead in the coming generation of chip technology for at least a few years. That story was set in motion a couple years ago or so, and now it looks like it is starting to play out as Intel planned.
If it does, then Apple will need to go to Intel for the latest generation of chip technology in the time frame discussed in this article. And to make that happen, they will have to start preparing now, so this story seems to be pretty much what should have been expected, right at about the time it should have been expected.
Intel acquires ASML’s entire 2024 stock of High NA EUV machines
Forces Samsung and SK Hynix to wait until next year for equipment
www.datacenterdynamics.com
Intel acquires ASML’s entire 2024 stock of High NA EUV machines
Forces Samsung and SK Hynix to wait until next year for equipment
www.datacenterdynamics.com
Intel and ASML strengthen their collaboration to drive High-NA into manufacturing in 2025 | ASML
Intel makes its first purchase order for ASML’s TWINSCAN EXE:5200 system, marking the next step on the path to EUV 0.55 NA (High-NA) introduction.
Right. It is like saying I returned to Honda just because I bought a used Toyota from a Honda dealer.
Intel has never served as a pure play fab. What that means is Intel processes are designed for Intel chips.
Apple works closely with TSMC to design nodes. That's why Apple chips perform so well. You can't simply copy and paste it to Intel fabs.
Sure, other companies can use Intel - but only because Intel begs for business. None of the customers you mentioned are designing high performance silicon.
As others have stated - obviously this would be a case of Intel providing fab services to make Apple designed chips.
At the time of Apple’s transition to the M series, Intel stated their hope that they might provide such fab services to Apple in the future and Apple left open the possibility. At the same time, Intel also stated their intention to move in the fab market of producing other people’s chips in parallel with their own.
So, nothing unanticipated or shocking about this possibility.
Also clearly reported on for some years now is that Intel made a significant investment in ASML in exchange for exclusive early access to the next generation of lithography machines. Since ASML has fully monopolized the high end of the lithography market, as long as Intel can execute implementation of said next generation machines without significantly more difficultly than other chip fab players that may come along behind, then Intel will be opening up a significant lead in the coming generation of chip technology for at least a few years. That story was set in motion a couple years ago or so, and now it looks like it is starting to play out as Intel planned.
If it does, then Apple will need to go to Intel for the latest generation of chip technology in the time frame discussed in this article. And to make that happen, they will have to start preparing now, so this story seems to be pretty much what should have been expected, right at about the time it should have been expected.
Intel acquires ASML’s entire 2024 stock of High NA EUV machines
Forces Samsung and SK Hynix to wait until next year for equipment
Intel acquires ASML’s entire 2024 stock of High NA EUV machines
Forces Samsung and SK Hynix to wait until next year for equipment
Intel and ASML strengthen their collaboration to drive High-NA into manufacturing in 2025 | ASML
Intel makes its first purchase order for ASML’s TWINSCAN EXE:5200 system, marking the next step on the path to EUV 0.55 NA (High-NA) introduction.
It doesn't work like that.
A lot of companies can buy machines from ASML, but it doesn't make them a good fab. Samsung can buy the machines, but their process technology is poor.
Intel can buy all the EUV machines they want. But you need the team of architects with deep expertise to develop things like nanosheet transistors, backside power delivery, and CoWoS for N2.