Peter Clarke, EETimes
5/1/2012 12:21 PM EDT
Intel will not become the next big foundry. As advertised, it will remain a technology explorer content to disrupt the fabless/foundry ecosystem that supports such competitors as Qualcomm, Broadcom and others.
Intel CEO Paul Otellini has said Intel fabricates wafers for others as a way of checking out technologies that may be relevant to Intel in the future. Otellini specifically mentioned fast processor variation. The best way to learn about these technologies, he added, is to find partners who want to make them. As a result, Intel gets paid to learn if these technologies will fly or whether they required modifications.