Taking on ARM
Intel didn't want to be drawn on timings, technology process details or target markets. It did confirm that there is no manufacturing process transeferred and this is just a ‘port' of Atom CPU cores to TSMC's technology platform.
Specific questions about taking on ARM were evaded and Chandrasekher stressed that this move has no impact on the existing Atom roadmap, it merely enhances it.
Asked why it didn't develop the IP in question in-house, Chandrasekher said "there is a time to market element." Maloney concurred that having spent a couple of years mulling over this "bold move", Intel wanted to get things moving as quickly as possible once it had decided to go for it.
Commercially it was made clear that the companies that buy the products resulting from this collaboration will be Intel customers.
So it looks like this is Intel's move to take on ARM. As we revealed last week ARM designs are increasingly encroaching on what is currently Intel territory. It looks like, with this announcement, Intel is saying "see how you like it" to ARM.
