Intel And TSMC Announcing Strategic Partnership

We've witnessed Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (better known as TSMC) work hand-in-hand before, but according to a breaking report from Reuters, the two are about to realign in a big way this Monday. A so-called "strategic announcement" will be made in just two short days, which has led the market to speculate that Intel may be considering the outsourcing of vital manufacturing.

We're not sure if the timing here is just completely coincidental, but AMD is expected to officially close off remaining loose ends of its own manufacturing spinoff this coming Tuesday. Granted, it's all speculatory for now, but Intel did say in an emailed statement that "sales chief Sean Maloney and general manager of Ultra Mobility Anand Chandrashekar will announce details alongside TSMC CEO Rick Tsai in Santa Clara, California on March 2."

The chip maker, while just recently pledging billions for new fabrication plants, also announced last month that it would be shutting down facilities in Malaysia and the Philippines and its lone surviving factory in Silicon Valley. Guess we'll find out the truth soon enough, but we will admit, we're a bit anxious at the thought of Intel letting go of such a personal piece of its business.
Tags:  Intel, CPU, processor, Chip, TSMC