Sam Altman OpenAI Prefers TSMC Over Intel for Chip Production
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has made it clear that he would prefer to continue with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for doing work in chip production instead of Intel Foundry at this point in time. His remarks reveal how the current perception of most leaders in technology relates to the supply chain of semiconductors.
The Opinion of Altman on Foundries
In an interaction with Stratechery recently, Altman asked on expanding the foundry market beyond TSMC to Intel as an option. He was quite direct and current on the single partner.
On the opportunity to expand the market, the reply by Altman was "I would like TSMC to just build more capacity." He re-emphasizes this and resounds that he really would like TSMC "to get TSMC to increase their rate of investment in more capacity."
However, while it is not a direct manufacturer at this moment, OpenAI is, however, said to currently be developing a dedicated AI chip to leverage TSMC's 3nm process. Altman's interpretation implied a preference for ramping production with a proven, consistent partner, rather than adopting a dual-source strategy with a new foundry like Intel's.
Wider Industry View
Yet again, aligned with Altman's views is the somewhat cautious refrain heard from other industry leaders such as AMD's Lisa Su, who have typically provided rather qualified answers when asked about the possibility of working with Intel as a foundry partner. Much of the consensus among the majority in the tech world seems to be that in the long term, supply chain diversification with U.S.-based manufacturing would be an end goal, but in the immediate term, the preference rests with TSMC, which has proven itself in the past.
However, in future, both Intel and Samsung will be up, probably one of the candidates for the second partner. However, this industry waits patiently to see the rise and performance of the upcoming Intel 18A process node. That would make the efficiency, performance, and manufacturing volume of decisive importance for the establishment of Intel Foundry as a real large-scale alternative for TSMC when it comes to advanced chip manufacturing.
