Today with Tick Tock Tock Tock Intel has shown process leadership isn’t important to x86 product so scaling nor process leadership matter to x86 beyond cost. Just do another 14+++. Like TSMC, Samsung or GF are doing and delay 10 forever!
Also with only a few tens of millions of servers that can easily and faster be manufactured by TSMC, Samsung or even GF, who needs TMG and easy to skip 10nm and simply retape to foundry 10nm for faster and likely higher yields. Clearly Samsung and TSMC are ready and manufacturing a zillion cellphone chips right now.
CCG with needs of a little more than two hundred million can easily do that by contacting TSMC, Samsung or other aspiring foundry’s on 14nm for far cheaper than doing at TMG.
There simply is no reason for intel to continue to spend and fund silicon especially as TMG has FUBARed it!
Scale of huge size is required in semiconductors to feed critical R&D cost and building of ten billion dollar plus fabs to play in silicon is a must. Intel has spent the billions and still nothing for two years and still waiting!
Two decades ago intel scale and profits on the back of x86 allowed them to ascend to become the worlds largest and and most advanced silicon manufacture and they dominated for two decades.
Yet their arrogance and dogmatic attachment to x86 set them on the inevitable path they are on now.
Intel fundamental problem is they make huge investment in leading edge and then need to retool it again for the next generation. Samsung and TSMC after getting their cellphone profits from the leading edge fab keep it running and making money for all sorts of other designs. The leading edge pays the R&D and depreciation while making a profit and the next 15 years they capture 60% margins for other things in the fab. Intel on the other hand closes fab and has to retool.
They gave Foundry a half a$$ try but failed completely in Foundry for anything as their process simply isn’t competitive with Samsung nor TSMC so they can’t capture any continued revenue stream. They must continue to retool the fabs at huge expense. Now intel continue to slip 10 for my guess is terrible yields and x86 doesn’t command margins they need on leading edge they are in a huge pickle they can’t escape! Nobody cares nor will pay on penny more for tick on 10 for a Tock on 14, pretty big pickle for Intel for 10nm and the tens of billion in silicon R&D, tens in idle factory and billions in product design all just waiting for what ROI?
The failure of CRB, PSO, and the 🤡 to win mobile and bungled delays on 22, 14 and 10 while Samsung and TSMC ride the volume of Mobile to become the new leaders for the next decade has pretty much assured where Intel will be in a decade.
Of course those McFubar and other intelers are still in denial the slip and public positioning of 10 and 7 on longer cadence is implied admission that x86 can’t lead any more, nor does Intel have the stomach to invest to pull in ththe schedule. Look at the public slip of 10nm as well as the empty shell F42 in the desert as where one company is going and the revenue and profits as well as stock market cap of Samsung and TSMC as three companies, with one going in different direction.
Tipping point has been pasted and intels future is assured right there with IBM, Motorola, Kodak. The only question can they make the right hand turn like IBM or end up like Motorola and Kodak
Amazing the BoD aren’t asking the 🤡 these hard questions and let him spend the billions they do t have.
Of course stock is high, billions in profits, likely record revenue, but the future couldn’t be more problematic for the 🤡