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I had an impression that Intel was like Boeing some decades after the McDonnell takeover. Still cranking out product, but a messed up bureaucracy, badly manage

I had an impression that Intel was like Boeing some decades after the McDonnell takeover. Still cranking out product, but a messed up bureaucracy, badly managed at every level. Gelsinger may be a sharp cookie but I cringed every time I heard him say that Intel's roadmap was to take back the fab tech championship. That's like saying you're going to become the world chess champion. Maybe you really do have it in you, but it's not something you can simply buy, especially now that you're funding your competition. Can Intel pull that off without first having to be deeply remade? It's not a battle of the bankrolls and Intel doesn't necessarily have the bigger bankroll anyway.

1123581321 5y ago
I don’t know about the analogy since it’s like the former chess champion promising to return, which has at least happened in women’s. There is a catalyst, which is a top engineer returning to restore a focused engineering culture and remove those unhelpful management layers thats slowed them down. They are also pursuing new fab business they have a chance to win and learning from fab partners where they have conceded they need external help. They also are to an extent playing a financial game and appear to be extracting strategic investment from the US and EU. I’m not saying Intel’s going to succeed, but it’s not quite more of the same.
- throwaway81523 5y ago
  Eh, Botvinnik returned as world champion, twice even (there were two 1-year gaps in his reign, due to losses against Tal and Smyslov). This is more like the washed-up Bobby Fischer's 1992 return match against the even more washed up Spassky, two generations behind his glory days, while Karpov and Kasparov watched bemusedly in their rear-view mirrors. We'll see how it goes, but why would EU fund Intel instead of a European fab? Don't forget that semiconductor tech is strategic for everyone. Taiwan, Korean, and China aren't sitting still either. Good luck, Intel. You're going to need it.
  - 1123581321 5y ago
    Presumably lack of choice of qualified vendors. You can read more about the EU's willingness to invest, to the point of introducing legislation, here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-20/eu-to-unveil-chips-plan-early-next-month-to-fund-more-production?sref=dl4Ey0es https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-20/eu-to-unv...

1123581321 5y ago

I don’t know about the analogy since it’s like the former chess champion promising to return, which has at least happened in women’s. There is a catalyst, which is a top engineer returning to restore a focused engineering culture and remove those unhelpful management layers thats slowed them down. They are also pursuing new fab business they have a chance to win and learning from fab partners where they have conceded they need external help. They also are to an extent playing a financial game and appear to be extracting strategic investment from the US and EU. I’m not saying Intel’s going to succeed, but it’s not quite more of the same.

throwaway81523 5y ago
Eh, Botvinnik returned as world champion, twice even (there were two 1-year gaps in his reign, due to losses against Tal and Smyslov). This is more like the washed-up Bobby Fischer's 1992 return match against the even more washed up Spassky, two generations behind his glory days, while Karpov and Kasparov watched bemusedly in their rear-view mirrors. We'll see how it goes, but why would EU fund Intel instead of a European fab? Don't forget that semiconductor tech is strategic for everyone. Taiwan, Korean, and China aren't sitting still either. Good luck, Intel. You're going to need it.
- 1123581321 5y ago
  Presumably lack of choice of qualified vendors. You can read more about the EU's willingness to invest, to the point of introducing legislation, here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-20/eu-to-unveil-chips-plan-early-next-month-to-fund-more-production?sref=dl4Ey0es https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-20/eu-to-unv...