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Stockpiling chips so partners can test them later? If the point is to validate designs, wouldn't you want to do the testing before the stockpiling?
by tedunangst 8y ago
Stockpiling chips so partners can test them later? If the point is to validate designs, wouldn't you want to do the testing before the stockpiling?
- mbell 8y agoIt's not so the partner can test/validate the cpu, it's so the partners can test/validate their designs using the cpu. i.e. It's hard to test/validate a laptop design if no CPUs exist that work with it.
- colejohnson66 8y agoBut why build a laptop with that CPU if there’s none of it available?
- anticensor 8y agoThermal validation. It is easier to test in a laptop as it has a limited thermal flux.
- JohnFen 8y agoThey would be betting that by the time they're ready to go to market, the CPUs to support it will exist.
- tedunangst 8y agoI'd say it's equally hard to validate a laptop design if all the CPUs are hidden away in some stockpile.
- mbell 8y agoThey are stockpiling working chips to prepare to send them to the OEMs for verification. Intel probably has to send out tens of thousands of CPUs for this, every OEM is going to want hundreds to verify their systems before they start mass production. It's an indicator that Intel thinks they have worked out the major yield issues and is preparing for production runs.
- pg_is_a_butt 8y agoMore like they already tested them, and they're junk, but their stock already took a hit, and it couldn't handle a public failure of their 10nm process. Guaranteed in 6 months they blame a warehouse HVAC system with destroying all the chips after the fact.
- Rexxar 8y agoMaybe it's a mistake. It would be more logical if it was " [...] and it's currently building a stockpile of 10nm processors while waiting for PC OEMs to test and validate."