Nice backgrounder <https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/10/intel-slipped-and-its-future-now-depends-on-making-everyone-elses-chips/> on how Intel (and American chipmakers generally) slipped from their leadership position by overlooking an important new business: manufacturing chips according to other people’s designs. We’ve all heard of Taiwan-based TSMC, which is the world leader in this area; when it was founded way back in 1987 (with help from the Taiwanese Government and from Philips), none of the US companies would take such an idea seriously. They didn’t think it would amount to a very profitable business, and anyway they wanted to control their own Intellectual Property. Plus, a company that made chips both for its own internal businesses and for others could never be seen to be entirely above accusations of conflict of interest. Note also the role played by Carver Mead, basically the father of the whole concept of RISC. He wanted a place to go to, where his students (and those of other teachers) could get their designs turned into actual working chips. He had special personal connections with Intel to get access to their fabs, but he knew others were not so lucky. So he played an influential part in getting TSMC started.