Intel Plans to Supply Chip Subcomponents From Exterior Factories, Particulars TSMC Partnerships

By Newsworldpress Last updated Sep 13, 2021

Intel on Thursday gave new particulars of its turnaround technique to supply subcomponents of its chips from exterior factories, together with new specifics of partnerships with rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Firm (TSMC).

Intel is among the few remaining semiconductor companies that also designs and manufactures its personal chips. But it surely misplaced its lead in making the quickest chips to TSMC, which focuses on manufacturing designs from exterior companies, after missteps in its manufacturing operations.

Intel Chief Govt Pat Gelsinger earlier this yr outlined the corporate’s technique to regain its footing in manufacturing by 2025. However within the meantime, Intel is making an attempt to forestall additional erosion of its chip market share by rivals resembling Superior Micro Units (AMD) and Nvidia, who’ve quicker choices.

A part of Intel’s reply includes tapping rivals like TSMC for subcomponents of chips referred to as “tiles” and stitching these collectively in Intel’s personal factories with packaging know-how. Intel on Thursday mentioned its new “Ponte Vecchio” chip will use key tiles made with TMSC’s “N5” and “N7” chipmaking applied sciences, positioned on prime of an Intel-made base.

The “Ponte Vecchio” chip’s first main use can be in a supercomputer that Intel is constructing for the US Division of Power.

Raja Koduri, senior vp of Intel’s accelerated computing methods and graphics group, conceded it had been years since Intel challenged Nvidia at dashing up synthetic intelligence software program, a market that has powered a lot of the chip business’s growth in recent times.

Koduri mentioned the “Ponte Vecchio” chip is quicker than Nvidia’s choices at a few of these duties.

“For a decade, we allow them to simply have free reign,” Koduri mentioned. “That ends now.”

Intel earlier this week additionally gave a brand new identify to its graphics chips that may problem Nvidia’s different main market of video gaming.

Intel mentioned Thursday its “Alchemist” graphics chips can be made by TSMC utilizing the latter’s newly named “N6” chipmaking know-how, an upgraded model of its “N7” know-how. Reuters reported in January that Intel would use TSMC’s upgraded know-how.

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