Intel is a technology explorer, not a foundry

Intel is a technology explorer, not a foundry: via @ee_times

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. Intel's work with Lilliputian Systems on fuel cells has implications for ultrabooks and smartphones. FPGA fabric for processors fits this bill as does novel memory technologies, 2.5-D and 3-D IC assembly. At the same time, supplying just a few wafers to th...

Full article: http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/other/4372049/In...