Intel and MediaTek Form Foundry Partnership

[TheLostSwede]

Intel and MediaTek today announced a strategic partnership to manufacture chips using Intel Foundry Services' (IFS) advanced process technologies. The agreement is designed to help MediaTek build a more balanced, resilient supply chain through the addition of a new foundry partner with significant capacity in the United States and Europe. MediaTek plans to use Intel process technologies to manufacture multiple chips for a range of smart edge devices. IFS offers a broad manufacturing platform with technologies optimized for high performance, low power and always-on connectivity built on a roadmap that spans production-proven three-dimensional FinFET transistors to next-generation breakthroughs.

"As one of the world's leading fabless chip designers powering more than 2 billion devices a year, MediaTek is a terrific partner for IFS as we enter our next phase of growth," said IFS President Randhir Thakur. "We have the right combination of advanced process technology and geographically diverse capacity to help MediaTek deliver the next billion connected devices across a range of applications."




NS Tsai, corporate senior vice president of Platform Technology & Manufacturing Operations at MediaTek, said, "MediaTek has long adopted a multi-sourcing strategy. We have an existing 5G data card business partnership with Intel, and now extend our relationship to manufacturing smart edge devices through Intel Foundry Services. With its commitment to major capacity expansions, IFS provides value to MediaTek as we seek to create a more diversified supply chain. We look forward to building a long-term partnership to serve the fast-growing demand for our products from customers across the globe."

IFS was established in 2021 to help meet the surging global demand for advanced semiconductor manufacturing capacity. IFS is differentiated from other foundry offerings with a combination of leading-edge process and packaging technology, a world-class IP portfolio, and committed capacity in the United States and Europe. IFS customers will reap the benefits of Intel's recently announced factory expansions at existing sites, as well as plans for major new investments in greenfield sites in Ohio and Germany.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[Ferrum Master]

It would sound like a dirty joke years ago...

Now hell has frozen for sure and things like that happen. Mediatek and Intel in one bed. Meditel or Intek?

 

[Nanochip]

Intel has done a 180 and opened up its foundries. I hope they’re successful. I wish them all success. TSMC. Amd. Intel. Apple. Samsung. Maybe not so much ngreedia.

 

[Tomorrow]

Intel has done a 180 and opened up its foundries. I hope they’re successful. I wish them all success. TSMC. Amd. Intel. Apple. Samsung. Maybe not so much ngreedia.

Better question is does someone who needs cutting edge chips will even look at Intel. Certainly not GPU manufacturers. Even Samsung is better than Intel when it comes to GPU's. In CPU's (well x86 at least) i will never see AMD using or Intel giving them the process to compete with Intel themselves. Not to mention that their CPU's lose in efficiency compared to TSMC chips.

This leaves only the likes of Mediatek, Broadcom etc using Intel's fabs for lower performing SoC's.

 

[usiname]

So intel is selling their shity node to Mediatek and buys better nodes from TSMC for their GPUs

 

[TheLostSwede]

Better question is does someone who needs cutting edge chips will even look at Intel. Certainly not GPU manufacturers. Even Samsung is better than Intel when it comes to GPU's. In CPU's (well x86 at least) i will never see AMD using or Intel giving them the process to compete with Intel themselves. Not to mention that their CPU's lose in efficiency compared to TSMC chips.

This leaves only the likes of Mediatek, Broadcom etc using Intel's fabs for lower performing SoC's.

I guess you missed this one?

NVIDIA Could Use Intel's Foundry Service for Chip Manufacturing

Yesterday, NVIDIA announced its next-generation Hopper architecture designed for data center applications and workloads. There is always a question of availability, as the previous period showed everyone that the supply chain is overbooked and semiconductors are in very high demand. During the...

www.techpowerup.com

Also, lower performing SoCs as you call them, sell in much much larger quantities than anything Intel makes for itself.
Besides, things like WiFi chips, are never on cutting edge nodes, as it's really hard to shrink the RF end.

 

[Tomorrow]

I guess you missed this one?

NVIDIA Could Use Intel's Foundry Service for Chip Manufacturing

Yesterday, NVIDIA announced its next-generation Hopper architecture designed for data center applications and workloads. There is always a question of availability, as the previous period showed everyone that the supply chain is overbooked and semiconductors are in very high demand. During the...

www.techpowerup.com

Also, lower performing SoCs as you call them, sell in much much larger quantities than anything Intel makes for itself.
Besides, things like WiFi chips, are never on cutting edge nodes, as it's really hard to shrink the RF end.

Nvidia is simply leaving it's options open. At this moment in time they will not make cutting edge GPU's at Intel. You do not have to look far for proof. Even Intel themselves is not making their ARC GPU's at their own fabs. That says it all about their node's suitability for delivering these chips.
Even Intel's Ponte Vecchio that is still not out is only partially made at their own fabs.

If Intel becomes more competitive in the future it could happen so im not ruling that out. The SoC's may be higher volume but they're also much lower margin.
That is what i meant regarding Wi-Fi etc. Since Intel's node is not cutting edge (atleast not by all metrics) then things like Wi-Fi chips may actually be a good fit.

 

[R0H1T]

At this point Intel is in 4th (5th?) position when it comes to their floundery business, they're way behind TSMC/Sammy & even GF atm!

 

[TheLostSwede]

Nvidia is simply leaving it's options open. At this moment in time they will not make cutting edge GPU's at Intel. You do not have to look far for proof. Even Intel themselves is not making their ARC GPU's at their own fabs. That says it all about their node's suitability for delivering these chips.
Even Intel's Ponte Vecchio that is still not out is only partially made at their own fabs.

Nvidia makes a lot of things that aren't GPUs today though, where Intel's fabs would be sufficient if the price is right.

If Intel becomes more competitive in the future it could happen so im not ruling that out. The SoC's may be higher volume but they're also much lower margin.
That is what i meant regarding Wi-Fi etc. Since Intel's node is not cutting edge (atleast not by all metrics) then things like Wi-Fi chips may actually be a good fit.

Most networking stuff, pretty much all arm chips that aren't for smartphones/tablets/notebooks would be fine at Intel as well.
The big issue is that none of these companies are going to make existing designs with Intel, as it would simply cost too much to convert a design made for TSMC or Samsung to make it work in Intel's fabs, so it'll be at least a year until anything new will be ready to be manufactured by Intel.

 

[Nanochip]

Better question is does someone who needs cutting edge chips will even look at Intel. Certainly not GPU manufacturers. Even Samsung is better than Intel when it comes to GPU's. In CPU's (well x86 at least) i will never see AMD using or Intel giving them the process to compete with Intel themselves. Not to mention that their CPU's lose in efficiency compared to TSMC chips.

This leaves only the likes of Mediatek, Broadcom etc using Intel's fabs for lower performing SoC's.

What benchmarks can you cite to that say mediatek or other 3rd party chip designs built on Intel 20A and 18A are worse from an efficiency standpoint than TSMC 3nm or 2nm?

I suggest also to decouple the chip design from the manufacturing node. Although intel chips are power hungry, we don’t exactly know what is the bigger contributor: process node or intel x86 Core design. For instance, if Golden Cove was built on TSMC 7nm vs Intel 7 would it consume as much power? Another consideration would be: would it clock as high?

There are so many considerations. If mediatek who works with TSMC looked at Intel’s technology offerings and price thinks it is a good commercial decision to enter into business with intel, then perhaps there’s something there.

Would be very interesting to see the types of 3rd party chips built on IFS, will they be ARM-based or will they be x86 based or RISC-v or some combination of the three? Rather than build modems and all the other distractions, IFS could be a good offering from intel. Especially with the UCIe tech that’s coming.

 

[Tomorrow]

What benchmarks can you cite to that say mediatek or other 3rd party chip designs built on Intel 20A and 18A are worse from an efficiency standpoint than TSMC 3nm or 2nm?

None and neither can you. Im not speaking hypotheticals here. Im talking about the process nodes we have here, today. Like i said i would not rule Intel's fabs out in the future but first they have to deliver on their promises. Because as it stands i have little faith that Intel can execute anything at the time they promise.
They make a lot of flashy promises but most of these have come to market late due to mismanagement.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

So intel is selling their shity node to Mediatek and buys better nodes from TSMC for their GPUs

I was about to say, where are the anti Intel bullshit comments and you have done your usual. well done Oh and it's shitty with two t's.

At least Intel have foundry's to sell manufacturing to others, unlike AMD and Nvidia that have to get in a queue with a begging plate.

 

[Tomorrow]

I was about to say, where are the anti Intel bullshit comments and you have done your usual. well done Oh and it's shitty with two t's.

At least Intel have foundry's to sell manufacturing to others, unlike AMD and Nvidia that have to get in a queue with a begging plate.

And you take care of the useless pro intel fanboy comments like usual. Pot meet kettle.
The biggest begger is Intel itself being a 3rd class customer for a few milllion GPU's at TSMC. So much for their superior foundries.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

And you take care of the useless pro intel fanboy comments like usual. Pot meet kettle.
The biggest begger is Intel itself being a 3rd class customer for a few milllion GPU's at TSMC. So much for their superior foundries.

Never said they are superior, but they HAVE them.

Not pro Intel nor pro AMD, just against anti Intel usual crap on here. I don't go into every AMD related thread and post anti AMD crap, but there is always someone, usually an AMD user doing it in most Intel related threads.

3rd class, lol shows what you think you know.

 

[Tomorrow]

I don't go into every AMD related thread and post anti AMD crap

Could have fooled me.

3rd class, lol shows what you think you know.

Yes im mistaken. They're not third for TSMC. They're lower. Somewhere near the bottom.
We've all seen how well their fabs have fared over the years. 10nm became a meme. They were in the lead in the Sandy Bridge era but got lazy and squandered it.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

Could have fooled me.

Really, show me then, in every AMD thread, show me posting crap about AMD CPU's or anything else AMD related.