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Intel to Receive $8.5B in Grants to Build Chip Plants

nytimes.com

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Re: Intel to Receive $8.5B in Grants to Build Chip Plants

#5
post #3

Grants ?! Isn't that massively anti-competitive/entrenching a monopoly? I would've expected it to be at least disguised as a tax break or something. ('No tax on US-manufactured chips' or whatever.)

A strong percentage of Intel's current sales are vendor lockin from the historical "Wintel" age (windows + intel). This is a moat Apple finally crossed after great effort, and Windows has made a few attempts to cross.

If chips were sold purely on hardware specs and not software lockin then Intel would have much fewer sales. The US giving grants, tax credits, and cheap loans to Intel only serves to extend the lifespan of a company whose compeitive edge is failing.

Re: Intel to Receive $8.5B in Grants to Build Chip Plants

#6
post #4
post #3

Grants ?! Isn't that massively anti-competitive/entrenching a monopoly? I would've expected it to be at least disguised as a tax break or something. ('No tax on US-manufactured chips' or whatever.)

Intel has a monopoly?

Due to the licensing agreements Intel and AMD have a duopoly on all modern x86 chips.

Re: Intel to Receive $8.5B in Grants to Build Chip Plants

#8
post #3

Grants ?! Isn't that massively anti-competitive/entrenching a monopoly? I would've expected it to be at least disguised as a tax break or something. ('No tax on US-manufactured chips' or whatever.)

They're getting $5.5bn in tax breaks, and loans for $11bn on generous terms too. Their total support package from the CHIPS money is $25bn. Intel are putting in $75bn, taking the total project to $100bn.

Re: Intel to Receive $8.5B in Grants to Build Chip Plants

#10
post #5
post #3

Grants ?! Isn't that massively anti-competitive/entrenching a monopoly? I would've expected it to be at least disguised as a tax break or something. ('No tax on US-manufactured chips' or whatever.)

A strong percentage of Intel's current sales are vendor lockin from the historical "Wintel" age (windows + intel). This is a moat Apple finally crossed after great effort, and Windows has made a few attempts to cross. If chips were sold purely on hardware specs and not software lockin then Intel would have much fewer sales. The US giving grants, tax credits, and cheap loans to Intel only serves to extend the lifespan…

Given that their parts have been, up until the past 5 years, clearly better than AMDs (and any other chip manufacturer), and in the last 5 merely competitive, that’s quite the statement. Nevermind that with Gaudi, they also have the only viable AI accelerator besides Nvidia and AMD.
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