Intel gets a second life as Google and Nvidia explore it as a TSMC backup for AI chips

Google and Nvidia are looking at Intel as an alternative chipmaker as TSMC struggles to keep up with surging demand for AI chips. According to The Information, Google has placed an order with Intel to manufacture more than three million of its AI chips (TPUs) for 2028. Nvidia is testing Intel's manufacturing tech for its upcoming Feynman GPU architecture but hasn't committed to an order yet.

Memory maker SK Hynix is also checking whether its chips work with Intel's packaging. If SK Hynix signs off, it would boost Intel's credibility as a TSMC alternative among other chip designers. Intel's foundry division has been bleeding money and missing deadlines for years, but TSMC's capacity crunch now gives it a rare opening. TSMC CEO C.C. Wei said Thursday that global chip supply won't be able to meet AI-driven demand for years. Intel's stock jumped more than ten percent after the report dropped.