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Does Intel still have a competitive advantage? It seems like they've hit a wall and competitors like TSMC and Samsung have basically caught up. I think they've

by IBM 10y ago

Does Intel still have a competitive advantage? It seems like they've hit a wall and competitors like TSMC and Samsung have basically caught up. I think they've acknowledged that they're slowing down with their new strategy [1]. [1] http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/03/intel-retires-tick-tock-development-model-extending-the-life-of-each-process/ http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/03/intel-...

deelowe 10y ago
Won't those competitors hit a wall as well? Seems like Intel doesn't need to be fast, just faster than the competition. I imagine the rate of change will slow for the whole industry.
- IBM 10y ago
  If they aren't a generation ahead as they have been then I think it ceases to be a competitive advantage. Then they would have to start asking questions like "Why not fab Intel chips at TSMC or Samsung if they offer better pricing?" They've already decided they're going to fab ARM chips, so I think they've already come to this conclusion.
  - deelowe 10y ago
    Isn't the new tech that comes out of R&D patented?
  - baq 10y ago
    Here's the trick: they already do. Only the biggest margin products get fabbed at Intel fabs.
    - petra 10y ago
      Is there some x86 fanned outside Intel ?
- lithost 10y ago
  You're right they are all hitting the wall at the same time. The 7 nm node is going to be a problem node for all of the companies [1]. Popular opinion is that Intel always has enough tricks up it's sleeve to effectively be a node ahead (even when on paper it isn't), but I've never been able to find a source on that. But honestly the industry has been hitting this wall for over a decade, and making less progress then it appears on paper (through not fault of their own. Moore's law has been dead for a long time now. "Node size" has only a loose relation to the size of any structure on the chip and is really just a marketing term. [1] http://semiengineering.com/7nm-market-heats-up/ http://semiengineering.com/7nm-market-heats-up/
  - smaddox 10y ago
    I would suggest reading the following article to see a source for comparing Intel vs competitors: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8367/intels-14nm-technology-in-detail http://www.anandtech.com/show/8367/intels-14nm-technology-in...
smaddox 10y ago
I suggest reading the following article: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8367/intels-14nm-technology-in-detail http://www.anandtech.com/show/8367/intels-14nm-technology-in... The plot 2/3 down the page compares Intel's process with competitors. It's a bit out of date in the sense that it only shows projections instead of the result after-the-fact, but the plot shows that Intel is still ahead.
- aceperry 10y ago
  Intel has been leading the world in semiconductor process technology almost since the beginning. Because they've been the world's largest semiconductor company for a long time, they can afford to keep R&D spending as a major expenditure.

by IBM 10y ago

deelowe 10y ago

Won't those competitors hit a wall as well? Seems like Intel doesn't need to be fast, just faster than the competition. I imagine the rate of change will slow for the whole industry.

IBM 10y ago
If they aren't a generation ahead as they have been then I think it ceases to be a competitive advantage. Then they would have to start asking questions like "Why not fab Intel chips at TSMC or Samsung if they offer better pricing?" They've already decided they're going to fab ARM chips, so I think they've already come to this conclusion.
- deelowe 10y ago
  Isn't the new tech that comes out of R&D patented?
- baq 10y ago
  Here's the trick: they already do. Only the biggest margin products get fabbed at Intel fabs.
  - petra 10y ago
    Is there some x86 fanned outside Intel ?
lithost 10y ago
You're right they are all hitting the wall at the same time. The 7 nm node is going to be a problem node for all of the companies [1]. Popular opinion is that Intel always has enough tricks up it's sleeve to effectively be a node ahead (even when on paper it isn't), but I've never been able to find a source on that. But honestly the industry has been hitting this wall for over a decade, and making less progress then it appears on paper (through not fault of their own. Moore's law has been dead for a long time now. "Node size" has only a loose relation to the size of any structure on the chip and is really just a marketing term. [1] http://semiengineering.com/7nm-market-heats-up/ http://semiengineering.com/7nm-market-heats-up/
- smaddox 10y ago
  I would suggest reading the following article to see a source for comparing Intel vs competitors: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8367/intels-14nm-technology-in-detail http://www.anandtech.com/show/8367/intels-14nm-technology-in...

smaddox 10y ago

I suggest reading the following article: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8367/intels-14nm-technology-in-detail http://www.anandtech.com/show/8367/intels-14nm-technology-in... The plot 2/3 down the page compares Intel's process with competitors. It's a bit out of date in the sense that it only shows projections instead of the result after-the-fact, but the plot shows that Intel is still ahead.

aceperry 10y ago
Intel has been leading the world in semiconductor process technology almost since the beginning. Because they've been the world's largest semiconductor company for a long time, they can afford to keep R&D spending as a major expenditure.