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TSMC founder says Intel won’t catch up, but there are threats to Apple chipmaker

TSMC founder Morris Chang has said that Intel won’t catch up with its technological lead, and will remain in the “shadow” of the Taiwanese company.

Intel has acknowledged that Apple’s own Mac chip designs are more advanced than any PC chip the US company currently offers, but the company’s CEO has repeatedly suggested that it will eventually catch and then overtake TSMC …

Intel had its head in the sand for years

While the writing had been on the wall for five years or more before the launch of Apple Silicon, Intel still seemed to have done little to prevent it.

It knew Apple was frustrated at the timing of Mac launches being effectively dictated by Intel’s timeline for new CPUs, but seemed content to continue development at a relaxed pace.

When the Cupertino company finally did make the switch to its own chip designs, the US chipmaker seemed taken aback by just how dramatically M-series chips outperformed its own offerings.

Intel clearly had no idea how to respond. It variously dismissed Apple as “a lifestyle brand“; mocked Apple in multiple ad campaigns; decided it would make ARM chips; said it could overtake Apple Silicon (a claim which lasted all of one day); and even suggested it could win back Apple business.

Intel won’t catch up, says TSMC

Just last month, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said that it would catch up with Apple Silicon by next year. But as Tom’s Hardware reports, TSMC’s founder disagrees.

Morris Chang does not see Intel as a major threat, reports money.UDN.com. He noted that despite Intel receiving considerable support and endorsement from the U.S. government, it does not pose a substantial threat to TSMC unless it manages to enhance various facets of its foundry operations like technological leadership, yield rates, and competitive pricing.

Meanwhile, even if Intel Foundry Services is successful, it will still be a shadow of TSMC, according to Chang.

However, that doesn’t mean TSMC expects an easy ride. Chang said that increased competition from other chipmakers and “geopolitical tensions” mean that the company is heading into its most challenging period yet.

“Geopolitical tensions” is code for both the heightened risk of China invading Taiwan, as well as increasingly nationalist policies in the US and elsewhere in the name of national security.

Chang does believe that its current strategy remains the right one: aim to retain its technological lead by constantly pressing ahead with ever smaller processes, and invest heavily in boosting production capacity.

Photo: Jonathan Chng/Unsplash

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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