9to5Mac

Intel Meteor Lake chips may be made by TSMC, as it seeks to rival Apple’s M1 chips

By Ben Lovejoy

Intel last week provided an update on its 14th-generation Meteor Lake processors due to launch next year, but it seems that there may have been a crucial change to the company’s plans.

Intel has said as recently as last week that it would fabricate the chips itself, using a 7nm process, but a supply-chain report claims that the company will instead outsource the work to TSMC, so it can benefit from the same 5nm process used for Apple’s M1 chips…

Background Apple was said to have grown increasingly frustrated at the timing of Mac launches being effectively dictated by Intel’s timeline for new CPUs.

Background Additionally, multiple quality problems with intel’s Skylake chip in 2015 is reported to have been the final straw in Apple deciding to switch to its own processors.

Although Intel had known for years that the day was coming, it seemed to have its head in the sand when it came to its expectations of Apple Silicon.

The company didn’t expect the first generation of Apple’s Mac chips to so dramatically out-perform its own offerings, and had no idea how to respond.

Indeed, Intel’s responses appear to have been generated by a Magic-8 ball.

The company dismissively described Apple as ‘a lifestyle brand’; it mocked Apple in multiple ad campaigns; it decided it would make ARM chips; it said it could overtake Apple Silicon (a claim which lasted all of one day); then it said it could win back Apple business.

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