Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says he’s interested in exploring chipmaking with Intel

Nvidia wants to explore using Intel to make its chips, chief executive Jensen Huang said Wednesday in a call with reporters.

“They are interested in us using their foundries. We are very interested in exploring it,” Huang said. But he added that talks on smelters take a long time because it’s about integrating supply chains.

Early last year, Intel, which primarily made chips that it designed, decided to expand into making chips that others also design, called the foundry business, and announced several multi-billion dollar projects for new manufacturing centers in the US and Europe.

Intel shares rose 2.5% on Huang’s comments.

Investors are monitoring chip design companies’ public commitments to use Intel’s chip factories. Last year, Intel said Qualcomm and Amazon would be customers for its foundry business.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger told Reuters after a US Senate hearing on Wednesday that his company was “pleased with their interest in using our foundry capabilities.” He said he had “no particular timetable”. He confirmed that there were ongoing discussions with Nvidia.

“I’m sure he wishes he had more options…and it costs him nothing to say that,” Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon said of Huang’s comments. “But that doesn’t tell you anything about what it’s going to look like when they get there.”

Currently, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. builds the bulk of Nvidia chips, and Huang said “being a TSMC-caliber foundry is not for the faint-hearted,” adding that it takes a culture change to provide no only processes but a service.

When asked if he would be concerned about working with a competitor like Intel, Huang said trust and collaboration with industry partners was key and that Nvidia partnered with many companies, including Intel for a long time.

“Intel has known our secrets for years,” he said.

© Thomson Reuters 2022