Surprise, surprise: the Intel is entering the mobile processor parade for good. After a failed attempt to produce its own Atom chips for smartphones, the mythical company has now announced an agreement with the British ARM (Advanced RISC Machine; recently acquired by SoftBank) to license its technology and manufacture the notorious SOCs in American territory.
The point is: to put the plans into practice and generate the profit and recognition that are lacking in the area, Intel needs a contract with a large smartphone company. Well, nobody can accuse them of not aiming high: according to information from the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, the company is aiming to court none other than Apple for a partnership starting in 2018.
The publication states that, although Apple’s longtime collaborator, TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), has ensured the production of the “A10” and “A11” chips (likely names, of course), things may start to change in a moment. two years with the “A12”: by then, Intel will have full operating capabilities in the United States, and intends to use this local manufacturing as a strong argument for a possible deal with Apple – as is well known, one of the main opportunities for Apple is currently moving part of its productions into the USA.
In addition, a hypothetical contract with Intel would guarantee that Apple would have at its disposal the best and most experienced processor manufacturer in the world producing the chips to equip its precious smartphones and tablets. In fact, Intel already works with 10-nanometer chips, a number that TSMC is still striving to achieve.
The switch of processor manufacturers would not be exactly in Cupertino – until a few years ago, Samsung was the exclusive producer of the chips equipping the iGadgets; eventually production was split between the South Korean and TSMC (including the A9 that equips the latest iPhones and iPads) and now the Taiwanese manufacturer is expected to take full control of production – at least for the next two years .
Intel, for its part, will already have a small piece of it within the upcoming “iPhone 7”: supposedly, a part of the 4G radios to equip the device will be manufactured by the company.
[via iDownloadBlog]
