Intel Foundries Able to Produce ARM-Based Chips Under New Licensing Deal

At today's Intel Developer Forum, Intel announced a new licensing deal with ARM, which will see Intel taking advantage of ARM technology in an effort to attract more manufacturing companies to its factories.

Under the terms of the deal, Intel plans to allow third-party semiconductor companies to use its 10-nanometer production lines for manufacturing ARM-based chips for smartphones, expanding the production options available to companies like Apple.

a9processor
Apple currently produces custom-designed ARM-based chips that are manufactured by companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), but with Intel and ARM's new licensing deal, Apple (and other manufacturers) could potentially use Intel to fabricate its chips.

LG Electronics has already inked a deal with Intel and will use Intel's foundry business to manufacture 10-nanometer chips for future LG devices. It is not clear if Apple will strike a deal with Intel, as rumors suggest Apple already has an agreement in place with TSMC to produce 10-nanometer A11 chips destined for the 2017 iPhone and other 2017 devices, but the possibility exists for future chips.

TSMC is also said to be the sole manufacturer of the A10 chip that will be used in the upcoming iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Tags: Arm, Intel

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...
Finder Siri Feature

Apple's New Siri Will Be Powered By Google Gemini

Wednesday November 5, 2025 11:57 am PST by
The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google. For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app, under Display...
Liquid Glass General Feature

Apple Shares Liquid Glass Design Gallery

Thursday November 6, 2025 2:45 pm PST by
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences. The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
airtag purple

Apple's Website Lists AirTag 4-Pack at Shockingly Low Price [Updated]

Friday November 7, 2025 6:40 am PST by
Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag. This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked. Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting...
apple watch se 3 always on

Apple to Remove iPhone-Apple Watch Wi-Fi Sync in EU With iOS 26.2

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:37 am PST by
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report. Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for...
ikea smart home devices

IKEA Debuts 21 HomeKit-Compatible Smart Bulbs, Sensors, and Controls

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:08 pm PST by
IKEA today announced the upcoming launch of 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products that will be able to interface with HomeKit and the Apple Home app. There are sensors, lights, and control options, all of which will be reasonably priced. Some of the products are new, while some are updates to existing lines that IKEA previously offered. There are a series of new smart bulbs that are...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple's 2026 Smart Home Revamp: All the Rumors

Wednesday November 5, 2025 3:54 pm PST by
It's been over a decade since Apple's HomeKit smart home platform launched, and it is overdue for an update. HomeKit and the Home app can no longer keep up with AI-powered solutions from other companies like Google and Amazon, but that's set to change with a smart home revamp that Apple has planned for 2026. Home Hub Apple is working on a home hub or "command center" that will serve as a...

Top Rated Comments

Michael Goff Avatar
121 months ago
Intel iPhone....me want!!!
A combo computer Intel core plus ARM would be nice, best of both worlds.
That's not even what the article is about.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Goff Avatar
121 months ago
Well since we are in a discussion about that ...it was implied............................but you proved me there are people that needs to be told everything.

Last iPhone with 2 different chip showed that there are differences in manufacturing, so YES Intel to me means a better chip it'll change very little..but it will change ;) to each his own i guess, no need to act like i said something irritating!

For the record, i will also tell you that i am very calm ;););)
You're the guy who decided to not put in all the information and condescend to people who didn't understand your drivel. That's the irritating thing. Not that you don't understand the minute differences between a Samsung A9 and a TSMC one.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gpat Avatar
121 months ago
This has no implications whatsoever with Intel compatibility. Your iPhone will continue to run exactly the same applications. Get a clue.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Goff Avatar
121 months ago
I specified....editing..i knew a smart one would comment without understanding.... it took 3 replies...
Maybe you should be a little more specific.

Also, Intel making the chips will change very little.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DakotaGuy Avatar
120 months ago
ATM, it's only Microsoft "defending" the PC platform now... because they failed to make a new operating system designed for Mobile (aka their MS Courier concept).
[doublepost=1471381577][/doublepost]
Well I'm glad somebody is because Apple seems on the verge of turning the Mac into a hobby business at best and I still need a traditional PC to do work on.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Menel Avatar
120 months ago
Called it ages ago. Intel has the leading technology when it comes to fabs and is under utilising them due to the slowdown in the sales of PC's. Each new shrinkage requires more and more capital than the previous process so if you are not really growing (outside of server based chips) then the only option is to open up your foundries.

Apple's huge cash reserves and massive demand for chips based on the best possible tech + Intel's leading foundries = was going to happen eventually. Intel is no longer competing in the SoC market so it makes sense. Good news for us consumers, Intel's 14nm process is the best in the business and ahead of anything TSMC, Samsung or GloFo have, so better performance + lower battery life and with the potential for a massive order from Apple they will have the cash needed to stay ahead of the pack at the 10nm and 7nm levels. No doubt this Intel Modem in the new iPhone 7 is just Apple testing the waters.
Years ago it may have been a huge boon. There was huge disparity in the lithography process of Intel vs everyone else. 45nm vs 22nm or whatever it was a few yeasr ago.

But not so anymore. I don't follow this segment much anymore, but a quick google search shows Intel's latest and greatest 6th gen processors are on 14nm technology, but very simliarly is Apple's A9 using Samsung's 14nm.

And there is probably some difference between the two different 14nm processes... and while technologically/scientifically significant. At the end user level, I feel like it's probably splitting hairs.

So this is a whole lot of ... meh to me. Too late. The mobile movement by Android/iOS gave urgency and funding and motivation for so many other fabs to catch up, keep up, and close the gap.

Is Intel running scared? They need some of this mobile cash flow they've been missing out on...?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)