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2. Intel has its own internal fabs, which allows them to control the entire process, but also eats into their margins. [...] 4. Intel's CPU related R&D expens
by CountSessine 10y ago
2. Intel has its own internal fabs, which allows them to control the entire process, but also eats into their margins.
[...]
4. Intel's CPU related R&D expenses are much higher than either Apple or Qualcomm. On top of this, Intel does a ton of research into process optimization, materials science, and general circuit design, which obviously needs funding.
Isn't this double-accounting? TSMC and Samsung have the same process-related expenses; indeed Samsung is very close on Intel's heels, process-wise. But somehow this isn't reflected in SOC price? Again, it doesn't seem to make sense to me that Intel chips go for around $100 but Qualcomm chips list around $25.
- Cyph0n 10y agoIntel uses its fabs internally and does not allow other companies to use its process, unlike Samsung. Again, an ARM SoC running in a power-constrained phone is nothing compared to a desktop-grade processor when it comes to complexity. I think you're underestimating what's on a modern Intel chip.
- astrodust 10y agoThis "complexity hole" is a problem they've encountered before with the Pentium 4 line of chips. They ended up being too complicated and too costly to produce, so they had to scrap it and go back to the Pentium III design and iterate from there. I wonder if they'll ever have to back-track even further and use an ARM core but add on an x86-64 mode via microcode.