@Jozsef Dornyei A viewpoint of that kind falls a bit short, doesn't it?
That story about overwhelming demand is pure nonsense, or at least seems to be (to me).
Given the rather lacking stock on all fronts on Intel inventory, isn't it actually that most of the capacity on their 14nm node is rather used for a)
Cascade-Lake, b) the infamous
XMM 7560 modem, c) the shiny new
9th Generation Intel Core (
9700K, 9900K) and finally d) their chipsets?
- Speaking about Cascade-Lake, it is a stopgap against Naples. Funny thing is, it's destroying yield, like vastly. Problem is, it's urgently needed 'cause of AMD's Naples. So Intel hopefully is and damn sure have to to put every given effort in squeezing as much as possible of those out of production. That's their goal, that's what they try, keeping AMD below 20% marketshare. Anyway, these chips are fucking huge as they're bringing what, like 698mm²?
→ Here's where the funny part comes in; Huge chips are destroying yields, fast. And as such also the profit.
You need chips for doing so. Turn's out, they can't supply. Most probably sure enough yield issues. Those are fabbed on 14nm.
- Next stop is their ever infamous XMM 7560 modem they were fighting for so hard over years to get the contract for. Their whole respective division has produced insanely hefty debs over several billions (like+20Bn) and they just urgently need that contract. It's extremely important, not only for prestige but Intel as a whole.
→ Well, here's where the funny part comes in again; Apple needs about +200 million of such chips. and they need them quick, like yesterday.
You need chips when you intend delivering such numbers. Turn's out, they can't supply (German) them. Those are fabbed on 14nm too.
- Next core of problem are their 9th Generation of Core series processors which they urgently need to put out. Why? Since they only have a few months left they can even gain any higher profit selling them – until AMD again is very likely going to shit on them with their upcoming Ryzen 3xxx on the new Zen 2 architecture on 7nm. It will be bloody for Intel when they come out as Intel has literally nothing they could compete against with, for years to come.
→ Here's where the funny part comes in; You only going to sell so many chips you can produce in the first place.
So you need huge numbers of chips to sell and gain profit from doing so. Quick, like yesterday! Turns out, they can't supply them. Those are fabbed on 14nm as well.
- Next stomachache are waiting for Intel are their Chipsets, they finally produced on 14nm. They even started to fab them on 14nm not because they just really liked doing so, but since they needed to. They virtually ain't allowed to produce them on their older 22nm-node (not the new one actually) – since those are way to power-hungry on such a big node. Also given laws finally coming into effect which
should shall prevent them from producing those on 22nm any longer. Such a law are the California Energy Commission's 2019 regulations – which were adopted already end of '16, now coming into effect. So they ain't really allowed anymore to produce such chips on such a hungry node. Well, technically they are, but they can't really sell them anymore due to given regulations they need to meet now.
→ Well, here's where the funny part comes in; Well, … Speaking about shooting your own foot, Intel not only even heavily lobbied for such regulations to become effective in the first place, they even shaped them with such institution – and were rather proud as they finally went through. They literally „trumpeted its support for the rules upon their ratification“ (via TechReport.com). The CEC 2019 imposes strict limitations on the power usage of computers and monitors in idle, sleep, and off modes. That's something they even made by their own hands which finally comes back to bite them. Anyway … You need chipsets you want to sell the processor for (see above; 9th Gen). Turn's out, they can't supply them. Those are fabbed once again on 14nm. Well, no more apparently …
Did I missed something?
The thing is, their 14nm is overbooked multiple times as of now, they already outsourcing their production, even downgrading parts of it down to 22nm. And by the way, this alone on its own is
the single most epic declaration of bankruptcy for a semiconductor company, even more for the absolute monopolist, and a hell of a lot for sure for a company which sees theirselves as not only the most-advanced technology company in the industry but the utmost superior chip engineering company which has ever existed on the planet since the invention of electricity!
Stocks are dying on all fronts
So they outsource, even downsample greater parts of their production to inferior nodes and they still can't even meet the slightest demand. Allegedly just due to the fact that Cascade-Lake is literally eating up their wafers in huge numbers for no greater good. As a result, they can't deliver customer-cpus, they can't deliver any corresponding chipsets and they can't even fulfill their single most critical contract they've ever been granted during the last decade and they, I literally don't know anymore … I'm lost, like honestly.
The whole reason for all of this is the same issue since years, which has produced a multitude of resultant follow-up problems; Their 10nm-process isn't working
at all and most products like processors should've had fabbed on their 10nm by now – leaving huge capacities for chipsets, modems or the like. Turned out they wasn't capable of doing so,
since years. They've lost pretty much everythiong by now and they doesn't even seem
like they actually would acknowledge the very position they're in and have to face in the (near) future.
It actually seems like Intel is somehow torn between panicking and running around headlessly, being just paralyzed from shock while doing nothing and collapsing mentally as well as innerly. What the actual fuck just happened with this great and awesome company?! What on earth happened with such a big and industry-leading giant? I'm literally and actually shocked on what this company has becoming since AMD just dropped a single fucking processor! This can't be for real.
It's like AMD was just walking by, dropping something and since that given day Intel just stands there in awe being totally unable to do anything competent … They just
stand in awe before such a tiny company. How could all that just actually happening?! :/
tl;dr: Intel's 14nm production is overbooked by a multitude, can't do any actual shit! -.-
In addition, they look like morons, which they most probably just are – 'cause since a while now they seem to drown from their own Kool-Aid® which they used to enjoy far too long.
