The deeply troubled $Intel (INTC.US)$ has received more bad news.

On September 9th, according to Taiwan Business Times, Intel's wafer foundry business development has been hindered. It is reported that they have fully entrusted the production process of 3 nanometers and below to $Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM.US)$ and implemented a global staff reduction plan of 15%. It is revealed in the industry that Intel's staff reduction mainly targets their wafer foundry business, but to maintain the production business of **** chip factories, the Taiwan branch has not been affected.

Intel had been committed to building a world-class foundry business. CEO Pat Gelsinger once viewed the foundry business as key to restoring Intel's position among chip manufacturers and hoped that it could eventually compete with TSMC.

However, this strategy was not successful and instead led to huge losses. Documents submitted by Intel to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in April of this year showed that the independent chip manufacturing department, Intel Foundry, achieved a revenue of 18.9 billion USD in 2023, a year-on-year decrease of 31%, with an operating loss of 7 billion USD. The latest quarterly report shows that the semiconductor foundry business's losses have expanded to 2.8 billion USD, with an operating margin of -65.5%.

With Taiwan Semiconductor leading the way in advanced processes, the wafer foundry market is experiencing a situation where 'the winner takes it all'.

At the end of last month, the media reported that Intel is considering various possibilities, including splitting its chip design and manufacturing businesses, as well as shutting down certain factory projects. JPMorgan analysts believe that this move is bullish for TSMC:

If Intel decides to further reduce capital expenditures or halt production at new wafer fabs, it would directly affect the capacity of its external foundries. Considering the current global shortage of cutting-edge processes, such actions could further tilt the market towards TSMC, especially given TSMC's expanding business layout.

Intel, which used to lead the technology trend, missed the opportunities in emerging fields such as mobile internet and AI due to strategic mistakes, and is now being abandoned by the times.

Since the beginning of this year, Intel's stock price has plummeted by 60%, falling out of the top ten global chip manufacturers and becoming the second worst-performing company in the PHLX Semiconductor Index, in sharp contrast to Nvidia. In 2024, Nvidia's revenue is expected to reach double that of Intel.

Editor/Somer