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First 64-bit quad-core ARM chips to be fabricated by... Intel?
Intel's largest chip manufacturing customer, Altera, has said that it'll soon be building chips there based on -- wait for it -- ARM technology. Its Stratix 10 SoC will contain a quad-core, 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 CPU, which Intel confirmed would be the first of that type manufactured by anyone. By contrast, Apple's latest Samsung-built 64-bit A7 ARM chips used in the iPhone 5s are only dual-core. However, Altera's processors, which will be fab'ed with Intel's advanced 14nm tech are destined for networking equipment only and won't compete with the likes of Qualcomm and Samsung for smartphones. In any case, Intel's just a gun for hire with its biggest competitor's tech, so it would be unwise to draw any conclusions -- after all, the chip giant has its own Clover Trail to follow.
