Intel bobs for Apple

Pat Gelsinger. © Intel.

Pat Gelsinger, Intel’s new CEO as of February 15, told his future staff that it had to outperform Apple. “We have to deliver better products to the PC ecosystem than any possible thing that a lifestyle company in Cupertino makes”, said Robert Swan’s replacement. “We have to be that good, in the future.” Gelsinger’s forthrightness is refreshing, and shows that the company has been stung by Apple’s silicon performance. Intel has been facing competition on all fronts lately, delaying its 7nm chips until at least 2022, even as TMSC/Apple already has 5nm chips. The company now faces a tough decision whether to outsource chip fabrication. Finally, startups like Ampere Computing, headed by former Intel CEO Renee James, are competing with Intel on a new front with their chips for data centers, a major market.

⇨ The Verge, Tom Warren, “Intel has to be better than ‘lifestyle company’ Apple at making CPUs, says new CEO.”

2021-01-21