Replies to post #116668 on Intel Corp (INTC)

[RobertG]

Yes, they are a competitor.

[Sarmad]

>> I worry that Samsung will be a major competitor to Intel in CPUs, especially if they aim for micro-servers.

Is it correct to assume that the advantage of a micro server is in power savings, and that is achieved by reducing floating point resources ? What advantage would Samsung have in this regard over Intel's Atom CPU's ?

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13970_7-57571315-78/arm-demos-samsungs-next-major-cpu-the-exynos-5-octa/


"ARM demos Samsung's next major CPU, the Exynos 5 Octa

The Exynos 5 Octa is the next major processor iteration in Samsung's CPU lineup, featuring eight CPU cores. It's the company's next great processing beast and should fuel the company's premium tablets for the next few years."

[wbmw]

I worry that Samsung will be a major competitor to Intel in CPUs, especially if they aim for micro-servers. They've already hired a CPU design team, they have their own fabs, and they sell their own devices.

Easier said than done. It takes many years for a new CPU team to hone their skills to the point of delivering consistent excellence. Apple was fortunate that they found an excellent design team already intact. The only thing Samsung has shown is that they can put all of the best building blocks from ARM and other IP vendors together in an SOC - but then again, smaller Chinese companies have also proven they can do that.

Before Samsung can turn their investments into leadership products, they would need years of hardware and software expertise to hone their skills, and optimize their manufacturing. I think by then, Intel will have already turned the ship.

Maybe Samsung will be Intel's #1 competitor in the next decade, but I think for this decade they will be more of a friend than a competitor. Intel still needs them as a laptop and mobile device partner, as well as a vendor for display and memory.