Intel would consider fabbing ARM chips for device makers

CHIPMAKER Intel has said it would consider fabbing chips based on other architectures for customers.

Intel has made no secret that it wants to get into the contract chip foundry game, after all it has some of the most advanced fabs and manufacturing processes around, but previously it had been thought that Intel would only produce chips based on its x86 architecture for customers. Now Stacy Smith, CFO at Intel has said that customers wanting Intel to fab chips on different architectures would lead to "in-depth discussion and analysis".

Talking to journalists, Smith said, "There are certain customers that would be interesting to us and certain customers that wouldn't." Smith did not elaborate about which customers Intel wouldn't be interested in contracting for but did say, "If Apple or Sony came to us and said 'I want to do a product that involves your IA [Intel x86 architecture] core and put some of my IP around it', I wouldn't blink. That would be fantastic business for us."

That statement isn't particularly surprising, as it would simply mean more x86 chips in the market, and whether they would have Apple or Sony logos on them instead of Intel's would make little difference to Intel.

However Smith then moved on to the exciting aspect of working with firms that don't want x86 chips. "Then you get into the middle ground of 'I don't want it to be a IA core, I want it to be my own custom-designed core,' and then you are only getting the manufacturing margin, [and] that would be a much more in-depth discussion and analysis," said Smith.

Previously it was thought that Intel was a closed chip shop when it came to other architectures. Although Intel has produced ARM chips in the past, few would have expected Intel to even entertain the thought of making non-x86 chips for others. And, as Smith says, there are no fees to be made on licensing its x86 architecture, so all Intel would be making money on would be the manufacturing and the knowledge that it was slowly competing with itself by flooding the market with rival chips.

While Smith did the right thing by saying that Intel would dismiss any firm that wants to hire Intel as a fab, it's likely that Intel might want to be paid over the odds if a customer wants it to fab, say, chips based on the ARM architecture.

The INQUIRER contacted Intel and was told that the firm did not wish to make a statement about Smith's comments. µ