According to Kyotech on September 7th， in a recent media interview， Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon stated that Intel’s chip manufacturing technology has not yet met Qualcomm’s requirements， at least for the Snapdragon X series.
Amon frankly expressed that Intel “is still not an option for Qualcomm today，” while leaving the door open for future collaborations. He added， “We hope Intel can become an option.”
While this statement is concise， it carries significant weight， indicating that at least in the short term， Qualcomm is unlikely to become a customer for Intel’s advanced manufacturing processes. This directly impacts Intel’s strategy to revitalize its foundry business.
In July of this year， Intel had mentioned the possibility of pausing or abandoning the development of its 14A process if it couldn’t secure sufficient external orders or achieve key milestones. Subsequently， concerns have been raised by industry observers regarding the execution risks and yield rates associated with Intel’s 18A node. Amon’s latest comments cast further doubt on these prospects.
However， Qualcomm has not completely closed off all avenues for collaboration with Intel. Amon pointed out that Qualcomm is willing to consider Intel as a manufacturing partner if it can meet the required standards， and indeed， both companies have previously expressed intentions to cooperate. Nevertheless， for the time being， the Snapdragon X will continue to be manufactured by TSMC.
