Qualcomm is reportedly interested in buying Intel

This information would have made people smile a few weeks ago, but today it is no longer entirely improbable. According to information from the Wall Street Journal, Qualcomm has made an approach to consider an acquisition of Intel. How did this happen? The current turbulence is largely due to the fall in stock market valueSince the beginning of this year, the share price of Intel, once the world's most valuable technology company, has plummeted by almost 60%.

But back to reality. The news in the last few hours has been about “approaches,” so we are still a long way from an agreement. This information also comes after Intel's proposed plan to reduce the weight of its losses caused by its huge investments to regain leadership in chip production. One of the ways would be to separate the Foundry business from Intel and open up its capital for two reasons. First, to share the investment burden. Second, to make this entity autonomous, in order to attract customers who are reluctant to invest in it because they are also competitors of Intel chips. Where does Qualcomm stand in all this?

Qualcomm Towards Intel Acquisition… Really?

It's hard to say, but we've known for a long time that the company also has its sights set on the PC market and has proclaimed it loud and clear. From this point of view, Intel's expertise in chip design is indisputable. The latest releases from the blue team ( Moon Lake The company's component manufacturers (e.g. Intel, Intel Core i7, Intel i5, Intel i3, Intel i3+) demonstrate the company's undeniable expertise, and one might even wonder if it isn't manufacturing that has hurt Intel in recent years. Then there is the manufacturing/foundry part. This part of the company has made massive investments to catch up, at the cost of the turbulence we are experiencing today.

It's hard to predict the future at this point, but judging by the information we have, a full takeover seems highly unlikely. It would involve the same kind of restrictions that it faces Nvidia when the deal with ARM was made planned (respect for competition, possible dismantling, duration of the operation, etc.)

If both sides share this sentiment, it would mean that only a sale of part of the company could meet all the requirements. The chip design part, since Qualcomm recently got rid of several teams, or the manufacturing part? The second hypothesis seems the easiest to imagine. It would open the door for Qualcomm, another big American player, to take control of the capital of an independent foundry with a strong presence in the United States. Selling the chip design business would certainly provide a credible guarantee of the independence of Intel's foundries… but it would not solve the problem of investment losses, which will have to be digested for a few more years…

In short, uncertainty remains, but we must be cautious. These information leaks are rarely spontaneous and are mainly directed at the stock market.