No matter who makes the silicon, ARM has always been bad news for Intel. Intel barely made a dent in the consumer smartphone market with Qualcomm. Apple’s supremacy in the desktop industry, at least on Macs, is now challenged by its new Silicon. Although Intel maintains its x86/x64 computing architecture, it appears that it has devised a strategy to benefit from the ARM invasion, especially by manufacturing the ARM-based chips that Apple and other customers need.
To be sure, Intel isn’t switching to ARM and selling it to companies. Intel is developing a new line of business manufacturing silicon for other chipmakers as part of its new Intel Device Manufacturing model, or IDM 2.0. In other words, the latest Intel Foundry Services, or IFS, would compete with companies like TSMC, which provides semiconductor manufacturing services to Amazon, IBM, Microsoft, and even Apple.
The IFS will not be limited to x86-based silicon, which is an intriguing feature. It is also willing to produce ARM and even RISC-V chips, such as Apple’s ARM-based M1 or successors, as well as other ARM chips used in controllers or other parts of Macs, iPhones, and other devices. According to Engadget, new Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger is eyeing Apple’s company for its forthcoming foundry facilities.
