$\"Intel$ <\/p>\n

Image: IDG<\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The company that probably makes your laptop\u2019s processor will now manufacture the chip that\u2019s probably inside your smartphone, too.<\/p>\n

Intel has signed an agreement with Arm to manufacture Arm processors across several generations of products. According to the agreement, announced Wednesday by both companies, the deal will first focus on mobile SoCs for smartphones and tablets, and then expand into automotive, embedded products for the so-called Internet of Things, then data centers, aerospace, and government. Exact terms were not announced.<\/p>\n

The Intel-Arm deal doesn\u2019t involve Intel\u2019s Client Computing Group (CCG), which designs the Core processors used in PCs and desktops. Instead, it\u2019s an extension of Intel\u2019s new foundry business<\/a>, established in 2021 as a way to spur Intel\u2019s development of manufacturing technology but also provide an important new revenue stream. Intel essentially \u201cwalls off\u201d its foundry services from the rest of its business, protecting the intellectual property of its customers. While Intel will also license and sell its own X86 chip designs<\/a> to those customers, a company like Arm can also choose to simply treat Intel as a manufacturing line like TSMC. <\/p>\n

Outsourcing chip production to an outside company is typical in today\u2019s chip world, with Intel being a notable exception. Nvidia, like Arm, also uses foundries to manufacture its chips. The difference is that Arm adds another layer: customers like Qualcomm and Samsung who can opt to use a chip foundry if they choose. It is those companies that will have additional freedom to do just that, according to the deal; instead of relying on a company like TSMC, the Intel-Arm agreement allows them to manufacture an Arm processor on Intel\u2019s own manufacturing lines.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\n\t\tAuthor: Mark Hachman<\/a>, Senior Editor\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nAs PCWorld’s senior editor, Mark focuses on Microsoft news and chip technology, among other beats. He has formerly written for PCMag, BYTE, Slashdot, eWEEK, and ReadWrite.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n