After TSMC, Intel May be Edging Closer to Samsung for Collaboration

[Raevenlord]

Intel's revamped IDM 2.0 strategy has seen the company revise its stance in both in-house and outsourced silicon fabrication. While we're already seeing the fruits of Intel's collaboration with TSMC (albeit at the relatively slow pace of introduction for Intel's Arc Alchemist graphics), it seems that Intel is willing to go much farther than just TSMC as a source of chips for its product portfolio.

That's the backdrop to which Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger recently took a trip to South Korea's capital of Seoul. According to the Korea Herald, Gelsinger met several key Samsung executives, including Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, co-CEO and chip business boss Kyung Kye-hyun, and head of Samsung Mobile Roh Tae-moon. More than enough executive grunt to ignite talks of a deepening collaboration between both companies. While the reporting source doesn't provide any quotes or actionable intel from the meeting, Samsung remains one of the key semiconductor manufacturers alongside Intel itself and TSMC, with a particularly strong portfolio in memory-related technologies.





There's a phantom in Samsung's corner that Intel may be looking to take advantage of in all of this, considering Samsung's perceived competitiveness dip in its latest manufacturing processes. Following the less than stellar results of its 4 nm node, which is reported to have hit a difficult yield trajectory, Samsung saw Qualcomm move production of its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 towards its competitor TSMC. Likewise, reports paint yet another Samsung client, NVIDIA, as opting for TSMC's manufacturing processes for its next-gen RTX 4000 series GPUs, likely leaving Samsung starving for clients that can fill its manufacturing capacity. Intel may thus be looking for a fire-sale of sorts on the company's tech - especially at the company's usual volumes. It remains to be seen what - if anything - will come out of this.

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[Wirko]

The big issue with modern supply chains is that they are too simple (pictured). There's a lot of room for improvement in complexity. Step 3: Profit!!!

(https://www.wired.com/2012/06/food-trade-complex/)

 

[zlobby]

The big issue with modern supply chains is that they are too simple (pictured). There's a lot of room for improvement in complexity. Step 3: Profit!!!

View attachment 249374
(https://www.wired.com/2012/06/food-trade-complex/)

I love clean and concise graphs and charts.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

The big issue with modern supply chains is that they are too simple (pictured). There's a lot of room for improvement in complexity. Step 3: Profit!!!

View attachment 249374
(https://www.wired.com/2012/06/food-trade-complex/)

I've seen that before

 

[Camm]

Intel really is hedging its bets in order to avoid the process lock it suffered. Will be interesting going forwards.

 

[ModEl4]

Strategically it seems right, to have relationships with both major competitors and to allocate as much capacity as it makes sense (at least until all the upcoming new low geometry fabs that are being build from Intel/ TSMC/ Samsung become online and supposedly balance better the supply-demand situation) making in the meantime competitors life difficult by limiting their options.

 

[mechtech]

I wonder if Intel dumped execs remuneration into fab R&D if TSMC and Samsung would be going to them now and not the other way around??

 

[aQi]

Thats surprising. Its not limited to specific divisions. Intel is already taking mass production from TSMC but thats not enough. Memory and mobile expension needs another super hero to get the job done. Perhaps optane would make a come back.

About the graphics card delay. I had seen Intel job openings on their website specific for discrete graphic drivers development in US and China.

 

[eidairaman1]

They already do

 

[Vayra86]

Cool, they have production capacity. That hasn't stopped them making ever so shitty products though. In fact, it might reinforce them on their road to baby steps back.

Design wins, please. Not monopolist behavior.

 

[stimpy88]

The trouble with Samsung is that they can get a little carried away with their Xerox's. But I suppose they could be good for low end, non-cutting edge stuff.

 

[aQi]

The trouble with Samsung is that they can get a little carried away with their Xerox's. But I suppose they could be good for low end, non-cutting edge stuff.

I guess not in terms of memory.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

The trouble with Samsung is that they can get a little carried away with their Xerox's. But I suppose they could be good for low end, non-cutting edge stuff.

I hear Xerox makes a good collator.

 

[watzupken]

Collaborate is a very interesting choice of word. Just seems to make it sound friendly, only to realized that Intel is a direct competitor to Samsung and TSMC, and aggressively expanding.

 

[R-T-B]

The big issue with modern supply chains is that they are too simple (pictured).

I think you mean complicated? Because that graphic and the article you link is not claiming they are simple in the least.

It's also about food safety inspections in the supply chain.

Maybe I missed some sarcasm? Internet woes.

 

[Vayra86]

I think you mean complicated? Because that graphic and the article you link is not claiming they are simple in the least.

It's also about food safety inspections in the supply chain.

Maybe I missed some sarcasm? Internet woes.

If that didn't ooze sarcasm, I don't know what does

 

[Wirko]

If that didn't ooze sarcasm, I don't know what does

And that diagram for carbon-based life food supply chain is perfectly reusable for silicon-based life.

 

[R-T-B]

If that didn't ooze sarcasm, I don't know what does

Fair.