This news might actually be one of the biggest in the tech sphere in a while. The Wall Street Journal has reported (subscription needed) that the fabless semiconductor and mobile tech manufacturer Qualcomm has approached Intel about either acquiring the tech giant or just its foundries. This reporting by The Wall Street Journal was re-reported by CNBC and The Verge, and eventually all other major tech and general reporting sites and publications.
Intel is not in a good place right now. It recently had to issue a full refund on a recent run of its 13th and 14th-gen processors. Last week, Intel's CHIPS money, which is a Biden Administration program designed to encourage the development of semiconductor fabs in the United States, was delayed due to delays with Intel's construction plans. Due to these and other struggles, like losing ground to AMD in the CPU market, its current CEO is in the middle of s shareholder-led coup. As a possible concession to those disgruntled shareholders, Intel has announced that it plans to spin-off its foundry division from its design business. Speaking of AMD, it was reported by Reuters and other sources that Intel losing the PS6 contract to AMD lost Intel upwards of $30 billion.
While not in a great spot, Intel merging with Qualcomm would be a massive blow to consumers and gaming. It would represent a loss of tech competition and a diluting of design and research into the hands of even fewer minds and businesses. The Verge immediately posited if a merger of Qualcomm and Intel would virtually settle the rivalry between ARM and x86. Overall, this is bad for corporate competition, it's bad for gaming, and it is 100% bad for the PC enthusiast community. Nonetheless, it truly doesn't seem like Intel is getting out of its creative and design-related rut any time soon.
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