Tsmc Eyes Jv To Run Intel's Foundry Operations

Under the proposal, the Taiwanese chip-making giant would run the operations of Intels foundry division, which makes chips adapted for the needs of customers, but it would not own more than 50, the sources said. Qualcomm has also been pitched by TSMC , according to one of the sources and a separate source.

The talks, which are at an early stage, come after US President Donald Trumps administration requested TSMC, the worlds leading contract chip maker, to assist in turning around the troubled US industrial icon, the sources said on condition of anonymity because the talks are not public.

The details of the plan for TSMC to take no more than a 50 stake and its overtures to potential partners are being reported for the first time.

Any final deal the value of which is unclear would need approval from the Trump administration, which does not want Intel or its foundry division to be fully foreign-owned, the sources said. Intel, TSMC, Nvidia, AMD and Qualcomm declined to comment. The White House and Broadcom did not respond to requests for comment.

Talks about the joint venture over Intels foundry division have since continued, the three sources said, with TSMC looking to have more than one chip designer as a partner.