Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan Holds Talks With AMD Over Potential Collaboration

Intel Chief Executive Officer Lip-Bu Tan has engaged in discussions with Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su regarding prospective collaboration between the rival chipmakers, though neither executive has disclosed the specific scope or structure of any joint initiative.

The talks, reported by [TechRadar Pro](https://www.techradar.com/pro/intel-and-amd-could-be-about-to-work-together-on-a-mystery-project-ceo-lip-bu-tan-hints-at-future-co-operation-which-could-be-anything-from-software-to-cpu-to-foundry-work) following an interview between Tan and Chinese American Semiconductor Professional Association President Jimmy Cheng, come as Intel accelerates efforts to court enterprise partners for tailored silicon designs and contract manufacturing services.

Addressing his priorities during the discussion, Tan affirmed his commitment to restoring Intel's competitive positioning. "We have to reclaim the leadership in CPU. That is something that I am very determined to do," Tan said. He added that the company is moving toward tailoring processors directly for client requirements rather than relying strictly on standardized off-the-shelf architectures: "I'm modifying it for customer needs, and so that, to me, is a fast-growing area, and I'm double, triple down on it."

While Intel and AMD compete directly in personal computing and data center processors, the two firms have partnered on ecosystem initiatives in the past. In October 2024, they co-founded the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group alongside other industry stakeholders to maintain software compatibility across the x86 architecture. Their technical coordination also extends into artificial intelligence workloads, where AMD integrated its ZenDNN optimizations into Intel's open-source oneDNN runtime library for CPU-based PyTorch inference, as well as joint work on Advanced Matrix Extensions.

Intel's standalone foundry unit represents another potential vector for third-party business, though neither firm has indicated that AMD plans to outsource chip production to Intel fabs. Tan stated that Intel's 18A manufacturing node has entered volume production, while development of its next-generation 14A node remains underway. The foundry division has distributed version 0.5 of its 14A process design kit to prospective customers, with version 0.9 scheduled to precede a production-ready version 1.0 in early 2027.

Tan noted that two prospective clients were running evaluations on 14A test chips in January, with supplier selection decisions anticipated between the second half of 2026 and the first half of 2027. Outside traditional CPUs, Tan's turnaround framework targets application-specific integrated circuits, advanced packaging, co-packaged optics, and physical AI, with the executive expecting two or three of these individual segments to eventually contribute approximately 10% of Intel's revenue each.

Rebuilding enterprise confidence in Intel's manufacturing execution remains critical to securing long-term foundry volume. Tan recounted an instance where an unidentified customer postponed engagement for six to eight months pending his appointment as CEO, presenting a list of 15 operational grievances that Intel subsequently resolved before the customer expanded its relationship. The immediate test for Intel's manufacturing ambitions will arrive over the coming quarters as prospective clients finalize their commercial packaging and foundry vendor selections for late 2026 and early 2027.