New rumour alleges Samsung and Apple are looking to acquire Intel

Earlier this month, it was reported that Qualcomm was looking to acquire Intel after its lackluster performance. It reportedly lost out on a multi-billion dollar contract from PlayStation. The tepid Arrow Lake launch and cancelled architectures may have made things worse for the chipmaker. Now, Moore's Law is Dead, citing industry sources, says others have expressed interest in Intel.

Two companies that are allegedly looking to acquire/merge with Intel are Apple and Samsung. Tom speculates both companies are after Intel for its foundry business. It makes sense, as it would reduce Apple's reliance on TSMC for high-end chips. Additionally, they'd be manufactured locally in the US. However, that won't be possible if Intel decides to turn Intel Foundry into a separate company.

Similarly, Samsung could use Intel Foundry's IP to bolster its own production capabilities. Samsung Foundry's recent nodes aren't doing very well, with recent reports stating 20% yields on its cutting 3GAP process. While that number may have improved since, it is not commercially viable yet, as evidenced by the delay (or likely cancellation) of the Exynos 2500.

As always, these are rumours and should be treated as such until proven otherwise. Besides, Intel has recently teamed up with AMD to form the x86 EAG. Additionally, it has received high-profile contracts from the United States Department of Defense for military-grade chips and Amazon Web Services as a customer for Intel 18A. This should give Intel a much-needed cash injection to stay afloat for the immediate future.

Despite its failure on the desktop platform, Intel did pretty well with Lunar Lake, and Arrow Lake laptop is shaping up to be just as competitive. Next year's Panther Lake has the potential to take the fight to Apple in performance-per-watt thanks to 18A improvements such as RibbonFET and backside power delivery.