A report relayed by EETimes today has Intel chasing after the next generation Apple AX chips contracts that will go into iOS devices.
Before the release of the A5, reports had been that apple was looking at TSMC for their chip foundry work. However, since the A5 was revealed to be the work of Samsung, who has manufactured all of Apple’s iOS device processors, TSMC was assumed to be on the back burner.
”It makes strategic sense for both companies. The combination of Apple’s growing demand and market share in smart phones and tablets gives Intel a position in these markets and drives the logic volume Intel needs to stay ahead in manufacturing,” Richard said.
”Intel’s manufacturing lead gives Apple an additional competitive advantage in these markets and distances it from Asian competitors that are knocking off its products,” he said. ”Furthermore, it would also serve to weaken Samsung who is a significant competitive threat to both companies.”
Since Apple is suing Samsung (and vice versa) Apple may be stepping up its attempts to get its AX processor line manufactured somewhere else.
Intel, however, isn’t in the foundry business. It designs and builds its own integrated processor architectures. Apple and Intel have had a pretty good relationship since the PowerPC handover over five years ago.
- Apple moving to TSMC for A5 production? (9to5mac.com)
- The A5 chip almost twice the size of A4, fabbed on Samsung’s 45nm process (9to5mac.com)
- After $5.7 billion in orders last year alone, Samsung threatens counter-action over Apple lawsuit (9to5mac.com)
- OEM roundup: Intel’s Xeons for massive datacenters,Toshiba’s capacious flash chips for 64GB iOS gadgets, OCZ’s replacement program for faulty SSDs (9to5mac.com)
- Apple floats iPhone ‘4S’ with A5 chip to select developers to prepare for next-gen iPhone (9to5mac.com)
- Mossberg: Samsung Series 9 tries to be a Windows MacBook Air (9to5mac.com)
