Intel shook hands with Rockchip to produce chips

In order to conquer the Chinese market, Intel needs a local partner, and it is obvious that the US technology firm has signed a partnership with Rockchip, the country's leading chip supplier.

Rumors that speculation about near future cooperation between Intel and Rockchip is absolutely correct. On May 27, an agreement between the two companies was officially signed, in which the content specifically focused on the development of a SoC ( chip ) platform designed for average Android tablets. people. That platform will include a 64-bit Atom Silvermont processor ( not ARM, but similar in design to Bay Trail processors . ), as well as a 3G Intel SoFIA chip.

As Brian Krzanich , Intel's chief executive explained, the idea is to motivate Intel's business in China through the influence of Rockchip in the country.

" It's a good way for us to be here, and take advantage of this collaboration to add new products to our catalog. Think of it as something we add to the road. What we want to do is speed up our penetration into these markets, 'he affirmed during the teleconference conference after the official announcement. The cooperation between the two parties.

However, the agreement is ambiguous about regulating Rockchip's impact, especially on R&D and future products based on Intel's technology and chips. From the conclusion we made earlier, it seems that this agreement is mainly the way Intel enters the Chinese market, access to Rockchip's Chinese partners and access to its distribution network. this company.

However, it is clear that Krzanich is pleased to add products to Intel's Sofia chips. The chip line will have three main products, namely the dual-chip 3G launched in late 2014 and the quad-core 4G / LTE chip, both of which are manufactured by Intel, and quad-core 3G chips will be manufactured. by Rockchip on the same technical platform, will be available in the first half of 2015. Note that other accessories as well as modems and x86 CPUs are provided by Rockchip, such as graphics circuits or circuits. connect.

At this point, especially in the field of popular chip manufacturing for emerging markets, Krzanich realized he had missed the deal with the Chinese chip giant to create some kind of dedicated chip. And in the market for connected devices, if Rockchip's chip is integrated into devices sold in large quantities in China, that's really an opportunity that Intel needs to embrace. In addition, Brian Krzanich clearly stated that this strategic agreement is not exclusive.

Rockchip will continue to develop and sell its ARM chips, while Intel reserves the right to sign other similar agreements with other partners in the market, to install its firmware on other chips. Note that all components of the SoFIA chip and modem are manufactured by TSMC, which also produces Intel modems. Production of SoFIA chips and modems will be started in Intel factories in 2016.

It must be said that Intel has recently begun to encroach on smart phones and tablets, bringing about positive results in its business. Analysts said the strategy also helped Intel have a competitive advantage over rival British rival ARM Holdings.

Meanwhile, Rockchip is one of China's major technology firms, has the strength of designing phone models and distributing electronic chip products for smartphones and tablets. Rockchip's ARM platform chips are used in some inexpensive Chinese-origin tablets sold on eBay and many other websites. Chinese tablets serve basic web surfing needs, but lack hardware and software support. Rockchip also provides many parts for Apple and Samsung products.

According to market research firm IDC, in the fourth quarter of 2013, Rockchip sold 9 million sets of chips out of a total of 88.3 million sold worldwide.