NVIDIA is allegedly looking at Intel as a manufacturer of its GPUs. Broadcom is also likely to join Intel’s «queue.
Source GuruFocus reports that NVIDIA considers using Intel services Foundry for the production of graphics processors designed for gamers. UBS analyst Timothy Arcuri notes that Intel getting an order from NVIDIA, one of the largest chip developers without its own production, would be a big win and a turning point for Intel.
According to the analyst, Broadcom and NVIDIA are considering Intel’s 18A (1.8 nm) process for their products. Allegedly, NVIDIA is closer to accepting Intel as another supplier than Broadcom. AMD has also shown interest in this manufacturing process, although its progress is slow.
«Intel is working to finalize commitments from NVIDIA or Broadcom to use its foundry services», Arcuri writes.
In addition to 18A, Intel is preparing to introduce 18A-P technology with increased performance. The new technology will allow increasing performance with the same power, or reducing power while maintaining performance. The analyst believes that this process may be more appealing to external customers who want to maximize orders or reduce costs. While existing 18A production technology may be a good choice for Intel, chip designers will be able to choose a version of the process with higher performance, as is the case with TSMC.
Timothy Arcuri says that Lip-Bu Tan, the new CEO of Intel will focus on the company’s chip development and lithography capabilities in the near future, continuing to Pat Helsinger’s course and interim leadership. However, he notes that there is no understanding of Lip-Bu Tan’s external plans. The CEO will make his first public speech on March 31 at the Intel Vision event in Las Vegas. The event is mainly aimed at analysts and investors.
