In recent years, the world's largest semiconductor company, Intel (Intel) in the PC market continues to decline, under the influence of performance. And although attacking mobile communications market, but poor results, in April this year, announced his retirement from system for mobile communications chip market, focusing on the strategic innovation of science and technology (e.g., 5 g, etc.). Intel's defeat in the mobile communications market, make it have had to change tack, turn into new markets.
On August 16, in the Intel Developer conference (Intel Developer Forum, IDF), Intel announced ARM IP authorization have been achieved, will with Intel's 10 nm process, for the customer OEM ARM architecture of mobile telecommunications system chip. South Korea's LG spreadtrum (LG) and the mainland, Intel will be in the smartphone chip of the first customers, LG will use Intel's 10 nm process, spreadtrum Intel 14 nm process will be used.
Before that Intel has already entered a wafer foundry market, but only a few customers, the big push into the smartphone chip generation of labor market, according to Intel has determined to wafer foundry PC chip market gap all the way to make up for recession. Even cannot be the main supplier of the intelligent mobile phone chips, Intel settle for second best, trying to smartphone chip wafer foundry market for one day.
Wafer foundry market size of about $54 billion in 2016, at about $500 for the annual turnover of the semiconductor Intel, is still worthy of entering the market. So long as has accounted for about 25% of the city, not only can make up for the PC chips lose turnover, also can improve the fabs capacity utilization, and make the state of Intel's pushing up the turnover to 60 billion $.
However, the operation of wafer foundry and Intel previous way of production have very big difference, whether Intel can meet the requirements of customers, time still to be tested. Faced with Intel it a super rival, TSMC may meet on an unprecedented test.
LG and spreadtrum at present are all a hotchpotch of TSMC client, spreadtrum is thunis group company, Intel's $2014 in 2014 to invest in thunis, so both close, spreadtrum Intel ranked the first smartphone chip foundry customers, not surprising.
LG smart shipments last year about 60 million, ranked sixth in the world. Although mainly adopts Qualcomm (Qualcomm) and the system of mediatek chips, but LG is trying to study the samsung, apple, such as huawei self-developed smartphone model system chips, for vertical integration. LG has developed NuClun smartphone system chip, and has set up a few smartphones for LG. NuClun is currently in Taiwan semiconductor foundry, the Intel should be very favorable conditions, LG use Intel's 10 nm system kicked off a new generation of NuClun system development and the trend of the chip, chip, mobile phone companies to Intel's wafer foundry enterprises have good focus.
Because of the phone system will use the most advanced chip process, and the quantity is big, Intel's wafer foundry ideal target customers. Apple, haisi (huawei's IC design company) and millet are Intel's future may actively strive for wafer foundry customers.
Intel entered the smartphone chip wafer foundry market, there is no doubt that declared it before in the smartphone chip market efforts have failed. For Intel, the world's largest integrated device manufacturer (IDM), put down sales chip products, to provide wafer foundry services with capacity of suppliers, it is difficult to adapt to not only customers, Intel itself is also facing role confusion, adjustment difficulties.
