AMD CEO Comments on Rumored Intel Collaboration Amid Strong TSMC Ties
In an answer studded with discretion, AMD Dr. Lisa Su gave an evasive response when she was asked in an interview if AMD would consider using Intel for chip manufacturing. Meanwhile, it was last week reported that AMD was contemplating the early-stage investment in Intel.
CEO Highlights Current Supply Chain Work and US Manufacturing
When questioned by Bloomberg about a possible manufacturing deal with Intel, Dr. Su did not directly confirm or dismiss the possibility but emphasized the strengths of AMD's current partnerships and willingness to develop domestically.
“The supply chain is something that we work on very meticulously. I think we have a very strong supply chain. We are certainly deeply partnered with TSMC across the supply chain” said Dr. Su. She also noted, “We are absolutely prioritizing building in the United States because we... want to have as much of [the US AI stack] in the US as possible”.
Analyzing a Potential AMD-Intel Deal
The outlook for a potential partnership directly between these competitors is complicated. Since AMD and Intel are competitors in the same consumer and data center markets, a product-level collaboration seems unlikely. The primary area of a possible partnership would be for AMD to use Intel's foundry services and contract manufacturing.
An interesting possibility could be that AMD would dual-source its chips, using Intel's advanced process nodes (such as 18A) in addition to its primary partner, TSMC. Whether such a strategy is acceptable to AMD would, of course, depend entirely on AMD's confidence in Intel's future manufacturing capabilities.
The original rumor about AMD investing in Intel emerged amid news of other prominent players such as NVIDIA and the Trump administration investing in Intel, leading to political considerations along with technical ones in forming partnerships with the US-based chipmaker in the future. However, any collaborative efforts by Intel and AMD remain just speculation for now.
