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Tag: Intel

  • Intel the Latest Company to Implement a Hiring Freeze

    Intel the Latest Company to Implement a Hiring Freeze

    Intel joins a growing list of companies that have initiated a freeze on hiring over fears of an impending economic downturn.

    After two years of significant growth, the tech industry is starting to feel the pangs of a pullback. The global pandemic helped drive spending in the cloud, as well as personal computers, tablets, gaming consoles, and more. Supply chain constraints and the semiconductor shortage helped keep demand high and profits equally high. With a return to normal, not to mention soaring inflation, tech companies are beginning to feel the pressure and are responding with hiring freezes.

    “Increased focus and prioritization in our spending will help us weather macroeconomic uncertainty, execute on our strategy, and meet our commitments to customers, shareholders, and employees,” Intel said in a statement to Fortune.

    According to a memo Reuters gained access to, the company is freezing hiring for its client computing group, the division that creates desktop and laptop semiconductors.

    Intel is in the midst of working to turn its fortunes around. Since Pat Gelsinger became CEO, the company is trying to regain the ground it’s lost over the last few years. The company is focusing on closing the technological gap with AMD and TSMC, as well as working to increase production.

    It remains to be seen what impact the hiring freeze will have on the company’s plans, let alone the economic downturn in general.

  • Qualcomm Wants Consortium of Rivals to Ensure Arm Remains Independent

    Qualcomm Wants Consortium of Rivals to Ensure Arm Remains Independent

    Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon wants his company to be part of a consortium of rivals that would invest in Arm and ensure its independence.

    Arm Holdings is one of the leading semiconductor design firms, with companies around the globe licensing its designs to serve as the basis for their chips. Apple’s A-series and M1 line of chips are prime examples. The company was recently in talks to be acquired by Nvidia, but that deal fell through over concerns that owning Arm would give Nvidia an unfair advantage. Amon wants to make sure that scenario is never again a possibility.

    SoftBank, Arm’s current owner, is now looking to spin-off Arm as an independent company following the failure of the Nvidia deal. Amon told Financial Times, via Ars Technica, he wants many companies to invest in Arm to ensure no one company could gain an unfair advantage.

    “We’re an interested party in investing,” Amon said in an interview. “It’s a very important asset and it’s an asset which is going to be essential to the development of our industry.”

    “You’d need to have many companies participating so they have a net effect that Arm is independent,” he added.

    Amon sees this strategy as a way for Arm to return to its roots and do business the way it did before SoftBank acquired it.

    “Arm has won everywhere because of the collective investment of the entire ecosystem, from companies like Apple and Qualcomm and many others, and that’s because it was an independent, open architecture that everybody could invest in,” said Amon, referring to the pre-SoftBank period.

    Given Arm’s importance to the industry, it’s a safe bet his sentiments will be echoed by many of Arm’s customers. In fact, Intel has expressed similar interest in a consortium to purchase Arm.

  • Intel Wins DARPA Contract For Off-Road Autonomous Vehicle Sim Software

    Intel Wins DARPA Contract For Off-Road Autonomous Vehicle Sim Software

    Intel has won a contract to provide the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) with simulation software for autonomous off-road vehicle testing.

    Automakers around the world are working to develop autonomous vehicles, but their application goes far beyond the highway. Unfortunately, most autonomous vehicle development focuses almost exclusively on highway travel, leaving a gaping hole in the technology’s future, as Intel highlights:

    In the context of autonomous driving, the gap between on-road and off-road deployment is still very significant. Many simulation environments exist today, but few are optimized for off-road autonomy development at scale and speed. Additionally, real-world demonstrations continue to serve as the primary method to verify system performance.

    Off-road autonomous vehicles must deal with substantial challenges, including a lack of road networks and extreme terrain with rocks and all types of vegetation, among many others. Such extreme conditions make developing and testing expensive and slow. The RACER-Sim program aims to solve this problem by providing advanced simulation technologies to develop and test solutions, reducing deployment time and validation of AI-powered autonomous systems.

    To solve these problems, DARPA is turning to Intel to provide simulation software to help further off-road development.

    “Intel Labs has already made progress in advancing autonomous vehicle simulation through several projects, including the CARLA simulator, and we’re proud to participate in RACER-Sim to continue contributing to the next frontier of off-road robotics and autonomous vehicles,” said German Ros, Autonomous Agents Lab director at Intel Labs. “We brought together a team of renowned experts from the Computer Vision Center and UT Austin with the goal of creating a versatile and open platform to accelerate progress in off-road ground robots for all types of environments and conditions.”

  • Intel Moves Up 2025 Chip Tech a Full Six Months

    Intel Moves Up 2025 Chip Tech a Full Six Months

    Intel’s efforts to catch up in the semiconductor industry are ahead of schedule, by as much as a full six months.

    Intel has been working to catch up to its rivals after years of falling behind, both in innovation and manufacturing ability. Since bringing back Pat Gelsinger as CEO, the company has been going back to its roots, focusing on chip manufacturing. The company has a roadmap for its turnaround, with the goal of leapfrogging its rivals by 2025. According to CNET, the company now believes products based on its most advanced Intel 18A process will be available in late 2024, rather than early 2025.

    “Intel must have good confidence in the [schedule] pull in,” said Tirias analyst Kevin Krewell. “Otherwise, why announce it this early?”

    The company has been investing billions in new factories and foundries in an effort to increase its production, as well as spending heavily to upgrade its equipment to stay competitive. If Intel’s announcement is correct, it may finally be in a position to challenge TSMC and AMD, and perhaps reclaim its crown as the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturer.

  • Fedora Linux May Drop BIOS Support

    Fedora Linux May Drop BIOS Support

    Fedora Linux developers may soon end support for BIOS, in favor of UEFI.

    Many Linux distributions support a combination of BIOS and EUFI, the successor to the aging firmware. UEFI offers a number features and advantages over BIOS. Intel created the predecessor to UEFI, EFI, but struggled to get manufacturers to adopt it until Apple switched to Intel. After that, other manufacturers began adopting the newer technology at a faster rate.

    According to an official announcement, Fedora developers plan on dropping BIOS support in Fedora 37.

    UEFI is defined by a versioned standard that can be tested and certified against. By contrast, every legacy BIOS is unique. Legacy BIOS is widely considered deprecated (Intel, AMD, Microsoft, Apple) and on its way out. As it ages, maintainability has decreased, and the status quo of maintaining both stacks in perpetuity is not viable for those currently doing that work.

    It is inevitable that legacy BIOS will be removed in a future release. To ease this transition as best we can, there will be a period (of at least one Fedora release) where it will be possible to boot using the legacy BIOS codepaths, but new installations will not be possible. While it would be easier for us to cut support off today, our hope is that this compromise position will make for a smoother transition. Additional support with issues during the transition would be appreciated.

  • Intel Suspends Russia Operations

    Intel Suspends Russia Operations

    Intel is the latest company to suspend operations in Russia, joining the international effort to force an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    Governments and companies the world over are imposing sanctions against Russia, pulling products and services from the country. In fact, the situation has become so dire that experts believe the country will soon run out of digital storage.

    Intel has announced it is suspending all operations in Russia, stepping up its initial decision to ban shipments to the country.

    “Intel continues to join the global community in condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine and calling for a swift return to peace,” reads the company’s statement. “Effective immediately, we have suspended all business operations in Russia. This follows our earlier decision to suspend all shipments to customers in Russia and Belarus.

    “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been impacted by this war, particularly the people of Ukraine and the surrounding countries and all those around the world with family, friends and loved ones in the region.

    “We are working to support all of our employees through this difficult situation, including our 1,200 employees in Russia. We have also implemented business continuity measures to minimize disruption to our global operations.”

  • Nvidia May Use Intel’s Foundry Services

    Nvidia May Use Intel’s Foundry Services

    Intel may score a major foundry customer in the form of Nvidia, one of the biggest semiconductor purchasers in the industry.

    Intel has been working overtime to reinvent itself under CEO Pat Gelsinger. Gelsinger is intent on bringing the company back to its roots as a chipmaker, first and foremost. In addition to its own chips, Intel is investing heavily in foundries aimed at manufacturing chips for other companies. Many of the biggest names in tech, including Apple, Qualcomm, Nvidia, and AMD, rely on outside companies to manufacture their semiconductors, making Intel one of the only companies that provides the entire range of services, from design to production.

    Nvidia may be interested in diversifying its manufacturing, instead of relying solely on TSMC and Samsung, according to Bloomberg.

    “We’re very open-minded to considering Intel,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said. “Foundry discussions take a long time. It’s not just about desire. We’re not buying milk here.”

    At the same time, Huang cautioned that Intel had a challenging road ahead of it if it wants to successfully compete with the two Asian firms.

    “Being a foundry at the caliber of TSMC is not for the faint-hearted,” he added. “TSMC dances with the operations of 300 companies worldwide.”

    Gelsinger has made no secret of his desire to compete at that level, and all indications are that Intel is certainly headed in that direction. Nonetheless, given the company’s recent quality and supply chain issues in recent years, Intel will have to deliver on its promises if it wants to gain serious traction in the market.

  • Vultr Now Using AMD EPYC Over Intel As Default Option

    Vultr Now Using AMD EPYC Over Intel As Default Option

    Cloud provider Vultr has begun offering AMD virtual machines (VMs), a significant departure from its past.

    Vultr previously only offered Intel VMs, but the company has begun deploying AMD EPYC, thanks to the performance the platform offers. In fact, AMD’s platform is now the one Vultr will recommend as its default option.

    “This is the first time we’ve offered AMD processor-powered virtual machines, and given their exceptional performance, these VMs are now our default, and recommended option for most users,” reads the company’s statement.

    “AMD has pushed the performance and technology capabilities of the EPYC family of processors over the last few years. 3rd generation EPYC processors, which power our new VMs, continue that trajectory, providing up to 64 cores in a single CPU. The particular 3rd Gen EPYC processors that underpin our new VMs are powered by AMD’s Zen 3 microarchitecture, which delivers fantastic performance per core along with a maximum frequency of 3.675GHz.”

    For customers that still want Intel, Vultr will continue to support them. Nonetheless, the switch to AMD as its default option is certainly a big win for AMD.

  • Intel Announces Plans to Invest Up to $80 Billion in EU Chip-Making

    Intel Announces Plans to Invest Up to $80 Billion in EU Chip-Making

    Intel has announced its latest expansion effort, planning to spend up to $80 billion in chip-making in Europe.

    Intel has been expanding at a record pace, announcing new factories and foundries in multiple US locations. The company is now taking that expansion to Europe in an effort to help insulate the EU from chip shortages over the next decade.

    “Our planned investments are a major step both for Intel and for Europe,” said Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel. “The EU Chips Act will empower private companies and governments to work together to drastically advance Europe’s position in the semiconductor sector. This broad initiative will boost Europe’s R&D innovation and bring leading-edge manufacturing to the region for the benefit of our customers and partners around the world. We are committed to playing an essential role in shaping Europe’s digital future for decades to come.”

    The expansion will begin with a $19 billion (17 billion euro) investment that will include a “semiconductor fab mega-site in Germany, to create a new R&D and design hub in France, and to invest in R&D, manufacturing and foundry services in Ireland, Italy, Poland and Spain. “

    The initial investment will create 7,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs at Intel. In addition, tens of thousands of jobs will be created from the supporting companies and industries that will spring up to support the new factories.

  • Intel Spinning Off Autonomous Unit Mobileye

    Intel Spinning Off Autonomous Unit Mobileye

    Intel has filed paperwork to spin off Mobileye, its autonomous driving unit, roughly five years after it acquired it.

    Mobileye is a leading provider of autonomous vehicle technology, including the camera systems some models rely. Since being acquired by Intel, the company has benefited from Intel’s investment and technical expertise, significantly expanding its reach. According to The Wall Street Journal, via TheStreet, Mobileye’s vehicle pipeline has risen from 37 million vehicles in 2021 to 50 million in 2022. The company also increased its revenue 40% from 2020 to 2021, coming in at $1.4 billion.

    Intel clearly wants to maximize the return on its investment, filing confidentially for a Mobileye IPO. The valuation could come in north of $50 billion, making it the largest IPO of the year so far. Intel says it will retain majority ownership.

    The IPO could come as early as mid-2022.

  • Internet Speeds Will Need a Major Boost for the Metaverse to Be a Reality

    Internet Speeds Will Need a Major Boost for the Metaverse to Be a Reality

    The metaverse — the convergence of virtual, augmented, and in-person reality — may be all the rage, but it needs faster internet speeds to succeed.

    Virtually every major tech company, including Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft are racing to stake their claim in the metaverse. Even traditional companies are looking for ways to cash in, with JPMorgan opening a location in the metaverse.

    According to CNBC, however, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says “creating a true sense of presence in virtual worlds delivered to smart glasses and VR headsets will require massive advances in connectivity.”

    Similarly, Dan Rabinovitsj, VP of connectivity at Meta told CNBC that connectivity has been the bottleneck slowing down the development of the metaverse.

    “If you really look at the pace of innovation in the telecom world, compared to other markets, it’s been harder to go faster in this space,” Rabinovitsj said. “One of the things that we’ve tried to change is that trajectory of innovation.”

    Meta’s comments echo ones from Intel, in which that company’s executive identified computation power as another major bottleneck that needs to be addressed before the metaverse can truly thrive.

  • Biden Urges Congress to Pass CHIPS Act

    Biden Urges Congress to Pass CHIPS Act

    President Joe Biden has urged Congress to pass the CHIPS Act, as the US looks to become more semiconductor independent.

    The CHIPS Act is a piece of legislation that would provide $52 billion in subsidies to chipmakers that manufacture on US soil. The pandemic shone a spotlight on the risks of being dependent on one country, or one region, for something as important as semiconductors. As the pandemic spread, early lockdowns in China and Asia helped contribute to a shortage the industry is still grappling with. National security concerns have increased in recent years as well, leading to an even bigger push toward semiconductor independence.

    The goal of CHIPS Act is to help companies establish the infrastructure and manufacturing facilities needed to competitively manufacture chips in the US. Intel has been a big proponent of the legislation, and CEO Pat Gelsinger was in attendance when Biden addressed Congress during the State of the Union, according to CNET.

    “Intel’s CEO, Pat Gelsinger, who is here tonight, told me they are ready to increase their investment from $20 billion to $100 billion. That would be one of the biggest investments in manufacturing in American history,” Biden said. “And all they’re waiting for is for you to pass this bill…Send it to my desk. I’ll sign it.”

    Intel has already begun heavily investing in US-based manufacturing, building factories in Ohio and Arizona.

  • Intel Interested in Consortium to Purchase Arm

    Intel Interested in Consortium to Purchase Arm

    Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has expressed his interest in joining a consortium aimed at purchasing Arm Holdings.

    Nvidia called off its attempt to purchase Arm in early February. The deal had met with backlash in both the US and the EU, with many concerned about a potential conflict of interest. Arm doesn’t manufacture any of its semiconductor designs, but does license them to whatever company is willing to pay. Many industry experts were concerned Nvidia may keeps Arm’s best designs for its own use, breaking with the company’s long-standing practice.

    Now that the Nvidia/Arm deal has fallen though, many are wondering what will become of Arm. While it has owned Arm since 2016, SoftBank had made it clear that it wanted to sell or spin off the semiconductor firm, likely to help offset the losses it has suffered with other investments.

    One possibility that was raised even before Nvidia’s ill-fated attempt to purchase Arm, was a consortium of companies purchasing the firm. According to Reuters, Gelsinger has left the door open to that possibility.

    “We’re not big users of Arm, but we do use Arm. We’re going to get to be bigger users of Arm as we make it part of our IFS (foundry business) agenda as well,” he told Reuters. “So if a consortium would emerge, we would probably be very favorable to participate in it in some manner.”

    Meanwhile, following the failed Nvidia deal, SoftBank has indicated it will take the semiconductor firm public, an outcome Gelsinger would also support.

  • Intel Working to Buy Tower Semiconductor For $6 Billion

    Intel Working to Buy Tower Semiconductor For $6 Billion

    Intel is preparing to purchase Tower Semiconductor for $6 billion, the latest move in the company’s attempt to regain its standing in the industry.

    Intel was once the king of the semiconductor industry, but has been eclipsed by AMD and, especially, TSMC. TSMC has become the world’s largest chipmaker, and manufacturers semiconductors for Nvidia, Qualcomm, Samsung, Google, and Apple. Apple, in particular, is a sore point for Intel, as the Cupertino company opted to ditch Intel in favor of its own TSMC-manufactured chips.

    In its latest effort to reclaim the top spot, Intel is looking to buy Israeli firm Tower Semiconductor, according to Reuters. It’s believed Intel is interested in the company as a way of improving its contract semiconductor manufacturing. While Intel is known primarily for its own chips, the company wants to expand its contract manufacturing operations, offering companies an alternative to dependence on Asia. CEO Pat Gelsinger has even said he wants to regain Apple as a customer, manufacturing its M1 chips instead of TSMC.

    Although neither company would confirm talks, Reuters’ sources say an official announcement could come as early as this week.

    **An earlier version of this story mistakenly cited the deal at $5 billion.

  • Linux Kernel Gaining Support For Hybrid Processors

    Linux Kernel Gaining Support For Hybrid Processors

    Linux will soon be able to take better advantage of Intel’s newest hybrid processors, adding support for Intel’s Hardware Feedback Interface (HFI).

    Beginning with the Alder Lake line of chips, Intel is adopting a hybrid design, feature multiple high-performance and high-efficiency cores. While this type of arrangement is popular in Arm designs, such as those Apple uses throughout its product line, Alder Lake represents the first such design within the x86 world that Intel and AMD dominate.

    According to Phoronix, Linux kernel 5.18 will include support for HFI, allowing the operating system (OS) to better utilize the different types of cores for the task at hand. The code has already been integrated into linux-pm’s linux-next branch, with 5.18 stable expected in late May.

    Windows 11 already has support for HFI, so the Linux kernel update will bring the same performance gains to the open source OS.

  • Intel’s Mobileye Targeting 2024 For ‘Autonomous Mover’ Shuttles

    Intel’s Mobileye Targeting 2024 For ‘Autonomous Mover’ Shuttles

    Mobileye, Intel’s autonomous driving subsidiary, is working to bring autonomous shuttles to the market by 2024.

    The autonomous market has been heating up, with automakers racing to advance the sophistication of their AI with the goal of delivering a truly autonomous driving experience. Intel’s Mobileye is considered the “dark horse” in the industry, leveraging Intel’s experience and resources along with its own.

    According to the companies, Mobileye will bring fully-electric, autonomous shuttles to the market, in partnership with Benteler Electric Vehicle Systems and Beep. Beep specializes in next-generation autonomous, electric vehicles (EVs), while Benteler is a leader in the manufacturing of various EV components. The three companies are working on “autonomous movers,” multipassenger, autonomous EVs, which will be deployed in the US first.

    “Multipassenger micro-transit needs are ever-increasing in our cities and towns globally and must be addressed in order to reduce road congestion, protect the environment and provide safe, reliable mobility for all to access,” explained Hinrich Woebcken, advisory board member for Beep and former CEO of Volkswagen North America. “Bringing to market an affordable, automotive-grade, electric, autonomous mover is a solution that will transform mobility as we know it today.”

    The shuttles will offer 24/7 transportation, giving passengers a cost-effective option.

    “Autonomous movers are the solution for future public transportation, solving the mobility challenges of increasing urbanization and emissions,” said Marco Kollmeier, managing director of Benteler EV Systems GmbH. “These movers need to be robust for 24/7 public or commercial use, at optimized costs and with excellent riding comfort. Consequently, we decided to go for this strategic collaboration with our partners Mobileye and Beep, to build autonomous movers delivering exactly against these market demands. Another example of how we make the mobility of tomorrow lighter, safer and more sustainable.”

  • Three New Macs Expected in March

    Three New Macs Expected in March

    Apple seems on the verge of releasing three new Macs in March, according to the latest reports.

    Apple has been transitioning its entire lineup to its M1 chips, based on the same architecture that has powered its iPhone and iPad for years. The M1 has consistently won praise for its high performance, combined with its industry-leading energy efficiency.

    Consomac (via MacRumors) was the first to notice an Apple regulatory filing that mentions three new Mac models. There were no details provided in the filing, although one model is known to be a portable one, meaning the remaining two are likely desktop models.

    As MacRumors points out, Apple is believed to be working on a larger M1 iMac to replace the remaining Intel model. The company is also believed to be prepping a MacBook Air and Mac mini refresh, replacing their M1 chips with the M1 Pro or M1 Max processors that made their debut in the MacBook Pro.

  • Intel Wins Massive EU Antitrust Case, Overturning €1 Billion Fine

    Intel Wins Massive EU Antitrust Case, Overturning €1 Billion Fine

    Intel has scored a major legal victory in the EU, overturning a 12 year-old verdict that resulted in a €1 billion fine.

    The case stemmed from Intel’s practice of offering rebates to computer manufacturers if they primarily used its chips, rather than rival AMD’s. The EU Commission fined Intel €1 billion for what it perceived as Intel abusing its dominant market position.

    According to The Irish Times, the General Court annulled the decision, criticizing the EU Commission’s decision.

    “The (European) Commission’s analysis is incomplete and does not make it possible to establish to the requisite legal standard that the rebates at issue were capable of having, or likely to have, anticompetitive effects,” judges said.

    Interestingly, the General Court — the EU’s second-highest — had previously upheld the decision in 2014. The EU’s highest court, the EU Court of Justice, told the General Court to reconsider Intel’s appeal in 2017, leading to this latest decision.

    It’s unclear what will happen next, with the Commission saying it will consider the decision and what, if any, steps it will take next.

  • Intel Confirms Ohio Semiconductor ‘Mega-Site’

    Intel Confirms Ohio Semiconductor ‘Mega-Site’

    Following reports Intel was looking to build two semiconductor plant in Ohio, the company has confirmed the news, calling it a “mega-site.”

    Intel is working to reassert its dominance in the semiconductor industry, with CEO Pat Gelsinger even saying AMD is firmly in the company’s “rearview mirror.” As part of its effort, the company has been expanding its manufacturing presence, building a pair of factories in Arizona for $20 billion, and now planning to do the same in Ohio.

    Intel is planning to build two semiconductor factories on roughly 1,000 acres in Licking County, just outside of Columbus. The company says the “mega-site” is large enough to support a total of eight such factories, as well as the various partner and support operations necessary for manufacturing.

    Intel will initially be investing $20 billion in the two factories, with an additional $100 million dedicated to educational institutions, in an effort to help develop local talent and research. All told, the initial two factories will create 3,000 Intel jobs, in addition to some 7,000 construction jobs, in what is billed as “the largest single private-sector investment in Ohio history.”

    Construction will begin in late 2022, with the factories beginning production in 2025.

    “Today’s investment marks another significant way Intel is leading the effort to restore U.S. semiconductor manufacturing leadership,” said Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel. “Intel’s actions will help build a more resilient supply chain and ensure reliable access to advanced semiconductors for years to come. Intel is bringing leading capability and capacity back to the United States to strengthen the global semiconductor industry. These factories will create a new epicenter for advanced chipmaking in the U.S. that will bolster Intel’s domestic lab-to-fab pipeline and strengthen Ohio’s leadership in research and high tech.”

  • Intel’s CEO: ‘AMD In the Rearview Mirror…Never Again In the Windshield’

    Intel’s CEO: ‘AMD In the Rearview Mirror…Never Again In the Windshield’

    Intel’s CEO Pat Gelsinger released a video on LinkedIn welcoming the new year, and took the opportunity to take a major swipe at rival AMD.

    Intel has had a rough few years, with the company losing its once undisputed dominance in the semiconductor industry. TSMC is now the world’s largest chipmaker, and AMD has released a steady stream of competitive chips — in the form of its Ryzen line — that have challenged Intel across its various markets. The company has seen some high-profile defections among its customers, thanks to the performance and efficiency of AMD’s latest designs.

    According to Gelsinger, however, those days are in the past, thanks to Intel’s Alder Lake line of chips.

    “Alder Lake, all of sudden, boom! We are back in the game! AMD in the rearview mirror in clients, and never again will they be in the windshield,” Gelsinger said.

    A number of the commenters who responded to Gelsinger’s post were quick to point out that Intel is still technologically behind AMD. While Intel has barely made the move to 10nm processors, AMD is already on 7nm, and will soon move to 4nm.

    Benjamin Banks, a self-processed “Linux nerd,” wrote:

    Intel launched a 10nm processor in November 2021, 364 days after AMD launched their 7nm chip, and somehow you claim superiority? Intel’s arrogance is staggering. AMD are about to launch a 4nm chip, while still Intel lags behind in what can only be described as a legacy manufacturing process.

    Patryk Jarosz, Information Technology Technical Specialist at IKEA, voiced similar sentiments:

    It also speaks volumes how they claim superiority with much newer product… Lets see how this stands up to whatever AMD will bring out in few months, shall we? 

    There’s no doubt Gelsinger is in the process of turning Intel around and helping it get back on track. As many of the comments point out, however, the company still has a long way to go before AMD is truly in the rearview — if that scenario is even still possible.

  • Intel Building $20 Billion Semiconductor Plant in Columbus, Ohio

    Intel Building $20 Billion Semiconductor Plant in Columbus, Ohio

    Intel is continuing its aggressive expansion plans, selecting the Greater Columbus, Ohio area for its next $20 billion plant.

    Once the undisputed king of the semiconductor industry, Intel has been struggling against the likes of TSMC and AMD. The company’s current CEO, Pat Gelsinger, is determined to bring the company back to its engineering roots. As part of that shift, the company has been aggressively expanding its manufacturing capabilities, recently investing $20 billion to build two plants in Arizona.

    The company has now chosen Greater Columbus as the site for its next factory, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The Dispatch’ssources said Intel will invest $20 billion in the project, centered on a Licking County site, and the new factory will employ some $3,000 workers.

    In addition to the 3,000 workers Intel will employ, there could be hundreds, or even thousands of additional workers in the supporting companies that will no doubt spring up around the new factory.