Intel is notably independent in developing new chip technologies in-house, but it has now entered into a new licensing contract with rival, ARM Holdings to manufacture 10-nanometre ARM chips. The deal is a calculated move from the company to offer its large-scale custom chip manufacturing services, which consist of 10-nanometer production lines to third-parties, together with those using its rival’s technology.
The chip giant announced at the current Intel Developer Forum that LG will be one of the earliest customers to use Intel’s new service. They will produce the world-class mobile platform based on Intel’s Custom Foundry’s 10nm design platform, Zane Bell, the co-general manager of Intel Custom Foundry said.
Intel Custom Foundry has designed full-featured design platforms on Intel’s 22 nm, 14 nm and the impending 10 nm FinFET process.
Ball added that their 10nm technology will provide developments in the transistor scaling and offer new functioning, power and cost benefits as well as a varied range of device features to meet different product requirements.
The 10 nm design program for foundry customers will now submit access to ARM Artisan physical IP.
“Optimising this technology for Intel’s 10 nm process means that foundry customers can take advantage of the IP to achieve best-in-class PPA (power, performance, area) for power-efficient, high-performance implementations of their designs for mobile, IoT and other consumer applications,” Ball said.
With an ARM deal set up, Intel now has the licensing framework to seize its share of the iPhone chip business, awaiting of course any fixed deal with Apple.
