Intel has just received a very important vote of trust in A moment of weakness. The Japanese Softbank investment group has just injected into this company 2,000 million dollarswhich has consolidated it as the sixth share of Intel. According to Reutersthis Japanese company has promised not to participate in the Board of Directors, and it will not buy integrated circuits produced by this American chip manufacturer. Even so, everyone wins.
For SoftBank this investment is important because Intel will interpret in the future an essential role in the US semiconductor industry. “This strategic investment supports our conviction that the manufacture and supply of advanced semiconductors will expand further in the US with Intel playing a fundamental role,” has declared Masayoshi arethe CEO of SoftBank.
On the other hand, these 2,000 million dollars arrive just after Intel has dispensed with Between 8,000 and 10,900 workers of its factories with the purpose of reducing their operating expenses and increasing their competitiveness. However, the company led by Lip-Bu so has something else in hand. Something very important. And is that, According to BloombergIt is negotiating with the Trump administration the possibility that the State acquires a 10% participation in Intel.
The largest integrated circuit manufacturer in the United States cannot fall
Most of the decisions made by the US government since Donald Trump returned to the White House On January 20, it pursues a single objective: the American semiconductor industry must be strengthened and independent. Intel is the biggest manufacturer of US chips, so allowing its fall is not an option for the government. The possibility of the State participating in Intel’s shareholders reinforces this precept, although this company has already acquired an unavoidable commitment to the administration.
Intel is the largest US chips manufacturer, so allowing its fall is not an option for the government
In mid -September 2024 Intel published a statement in which he anticipated that he will receive a maximum of 3,000 million dollars within the framework of the ‘Chips and Science Act’ program to manufacture in a reliable way semiconductors for the US government. The name of this plan, “Safe Enclave”, reflects one of the requirements required by the Administration: Chips must be produced in the strictest confidentiality.
The Commerce Department confirmed that it was evaluating the possibility of Intel reserving a restricted area in some of its integrated circuit manufacturing plants specifically for the production of chips for defense and intelligence applications. What is not yet clear is who will take care of the expenses derived from the tuning of this “exclusion zone” within the factories. They can be borne by Intel, but this money is likely to finally come from the subsidies of the State.
There is something important in which we have not yet repaired: the Defense Department is interested in using Intel’s 18th node. At the beginning of September 2024 this company confirmed that the 20A node will be skipped To reduce expenses and It will derive its resources to the 18A node. According to Ben SellVice President of Intel Technology Development, the 18A node has reached the maturity necessary to enter production in 2025 and will benefit from the resources that will be reallocated from the 20A node.
Although the latter at the end will not go into large -scale production will be remembered for being the first in which Intel introduced two important innovations: transistors Ribbonfet Gate-Lall-Around (GAA) and Powervia energy delivery technology.
Image | Intel
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