Six reasons why no one wants an Atom-based SoC

Intel's fear of the processor core business may be the root

Rick Merritt, EE Times
(02/26/2010 10:15 AM EST)

SAN JOSE, Calif. — You would think an x86 core would be a pretty hot item for a system-on-chip design. So why is no one biting on Intel Corp.'s offer last March to sell rights to an Atom core for SoCs made at TSMC?

Here's some armchair speculation. Most of it comes down to one thing—this new SoC model might have some inside Intel a little scared.