While Qualcomm has publicly stated that it will continue its collaboration with Samsung and TSMC in chip production, it has announced that Intel’s current manufacturing technologies are insufficient to meet its needs. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon stated, “Intel is not an option today,” revealing his lack of confidence in Intel’s manufacturing capabilities. However, Amon added that Intel could be considered as a supplier if it develops its technology in the future.

Qualcomm finds Intel products inadequate

Qualcomm’s current Snapdragon X-series processors are strong in terms of energy efficiency and performance. These processors are produced using TSMC’s N4 manufacturing process and outperform Intel hardware in some benchmarks.

Intel, on the other hand, has recently aimed to increase its revenue by producing chips for external customers. Plans to commercialize next-generation manufacturing technologies by attracting major players like Qualcomm to its own production facilities were disrupted by this announcement. Intel’s future depends particularly on the success of its 18A and 14A manufacturing processes.

However, the company’s announcement that it may halt development of the 14A process is raising concerns. The 18A process has not yet reached a level that meets Qualcomm’s expectations. Interestingly, Intel is also known to have plans to use both TSMC’s N2 process and its own 18A technology in its own Nova Lake processors.

Despite these developments, Qualcomm continues to grow its business. The company is expanding beyond the smartphone market and investing in automotive electronics. It recently introduced the autonomous driving technology package for BMW’s new iX3 SUV. Qualcomm aims to generate $22 billion in annual revenue from automotive and connected devices by 2029.