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Cadence Design Environment 4 1.INTRODUCTION This manual is intended to introduce microelectronic designers to the Cadence Design Environment, and to describe all the steps necessary for running the Cadence tools at the Klipsch. Murata offers the No. 1 most abundant lineup in the industry, responding to all possible needs, and proposing ideal solutions. Continuing to evolve as the world's No.1 manufacturer of ceramic capacitor.
Intel's headquarters in Santa Clara, California | |
N M Electronics (1968) | |
Public | |
Traded as |
|
---|---|
Industry | Semiconductors |
Founded | July 18, 1968; 51 years ago |
Founders | Gordon Moore Robert Noyce |
Headquarters | Santa Clara, California, U.S. |
Worldwide | |
Key people | Gordon Moore (Chairman Emeritus) Andy Bryant (Chairman) Robert H. Swan (CEO) |
Products | Central processing units Microprocessors Integrated graphics processing units (iGPU) Systems-on-chip (SoCs) Motherboardchipsets Network interface controllers Modems Mobile phones Solid state drives Wi-Fi and BluetoothChipsets Flash memory Vehicle automation sensors |
Revenue | US$70.8 billion (2018)[1] |
US$23.3 billion (2018)[1] | |
US$21.0 billion (2018)[1] | |
Total assets | US$127.9 billion (2018)[1] |
Total equity | US$74.5 billion (2018)[1] |
110,200 (2019)[2] | |
Subsidiaries |
|
Website | intel.com |
Intel Corporation (commonly known as Intel and stylized as intel) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, in the Silicon Valley. It is the world's second largest and second highest valued semiconductor chip manufacturer based on revenue after being overtaken by Samsung Electronics,[3][4] and is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most personal computers (PCs). Intel ranked No. 46 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.[5] Intel is incorporated in Delaware. [6]
Intel supplies processors for computer system manufacturers such as Apple, Lenovo, HP, and Dell. Intel also manufactures motherboardchipsets, network interface controllers and integrated circuits, flash memory, graphics chips, embedded processors and other devices related to communications and computing.
Intel Corporation was founded on July 18, 1968, by semiconductor pioneers Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore (of Moore's law), and is associated with the executive leadership and vision of Andrew Grove. The company's name was conceived as portmanteau of the words integrated and electronics, with co-founder Noyce having been a key inventor of the integrated circuit (microchip). The fact that 'intel' is the term for intelligence information also made the name appropriate.[7] Intel was an early developer of SRAM and DRAM memory chips, which represented the majority of its business until 1981. Although Intel created the world's first commercial microprocessor chip in 1971, it was not until the success of the personal computer (PC) that this became its primary business.
During the 1990s, Intel invested heavily in new microprocessor designs fostering the rapid growth of the computer industry. During this period Intel became the dominant supplier of microprocessors for PCs and was known for aggressive and anti-competitive tactics in defense of its market position, particularly against Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), as well as a struggle with Microsoft for control over the direction of the PC industry.[8][9]
The Open Source Technology Center at Intel hosts PowerTOP and LatencyTOP, and supports other open-source projects such as Wayland, Mesa3D, Intel Array Building Blocks, Threading Building Blocks (TBB), and Xen.[10]
- 1Current operations
- 1.3Market share
- 2Corporate history
- 2.7Acquisitions and investments (2010–present)
- 3Product and market history
- 3.3Intel, x86 processors, and the IBM PC
- 4Corporate affairs
- 4.3Employment
- 4.7Marketing
- 5Litigation and regulatory issues
- 5.2Antitrust allegations and litigation (2005–2009)
Current operations[edit]
Operating segments[edit]
- Client Computing Group – 55% of 2016 revenues – produces hardware components used in desktop and notebook computers.[11]
- Data Center Group – 29% of 2016 revenues – produces hardware components used in server, network, and storage platforms.[11]
- Internet of Things Group – 5% of 2016 revenues – offers platforms designed for retail, transportation, industrial, buildings and home use.[11]
- Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group – 4% of 2016 revenues – manufactures NAND flash memory and 3D XPoint, branded as Optane, products primarily used in solid-state drives.[11]
- Intel Security Group – 4% of 2016 revenues – produces software, particularly security, and antivirus software.[11]
- Programmable Solutions Group – 3% of 2016 revenues – manufactures programmable semiconductors (primarily FPGAs).[11]
Top customers[edit]
In 2017 Dell accounted for about 16% of Intel's total revenues, Lenovo accounted for 13% of total revenues, and HP Inc. accounted for 11% of total revenues.[11]
Market share[edit]
Market share in early 2011[edit]
According to IDC, while Intel enjoyed the biggest market share in both the overall worldwide PC microprocessor market (73.3%) and the mobile PC microprocessor (80.4%) in the second quarter of 2011, the numbers decreased by 1.5% and 1.9% compared to the first quarter of 2011.[12][13]
Historical market share[edit]
In the 1980s Intel was among the top ten sellers of semiconductors (10th in 1987) in the world. In 1992,[14] Intel became the biggest chip maker by revenue and has held the position ever since. Other top semiconductor companies include TSMC, Advanced Micro Devices, Samsung, Texas Instruments, Toshiba and STMicroelectronics.
Major competitors[edit]
Competitors in PC chipsets include Advanced Micro Devices, VIA Technologies, Silicon Integrated Systems, and Nvidia. Intel's competitors in networking include NXP Semiconductors, Infineon, Broadcom Limited, Marvell Technology Group and Applied Micro Circuits Corporation, and competitors in flash memory include Spansion, Samsung, Qimonda, Toshiba, STMicroelectronics, and SK Hynix.
The only major competitor in the x86 processor market is Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), with which Intel has had full cross-licensing agreements since 1976: each partner can use the other's patented technological innovations without charge after a certain time.[15] However, the cross-licensing agreement is canceled in the event of an AMD bankruptcy or takeover.[16]
Some smaller competitors such as VIA Technologies produce low-powerx86 processors for small factor computers and portable equipment. However, the advent of such mobile computing devices, in particular, smartphones, has in recent years led to a decline in PC sales.[17] Since over 95% of the world's smartphones currently use processors designed by ARM Holdings, ARM has become a major competitor for Intel's processor market. ARM is also planning to make inroads into the PC and server market.[18]
Intel has been involved in several disputes regarding violation of antitrust laws, which are noted below.
Corporate history[edit]
Origins[edit]
Andy Grove, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore in 1978
Intel logo used from 1968 to 2006
Intel was founded in Mountain View, California, in 1968 by Gordon E. Moore (known for 'Moore's law'), a chemist, and Robert Noyce, a physicist and co-inventor of the integrated circuit. Arthur Rock (investor and venture capitalist) helped them find investors, while Max Palevsky was on the board from an early stage.[19] Moore and Noyce had left Fairchild Semiconductor to found Intel. Rock was not an employee, but he was an investor and was chairman of the board.[20][21] The total initial investment in Intel was $2.5 million convertible debentures and $10,000 from Rock. Just 2 years later, Intel became a public company via an initial public offering (IPO), raising $6.8 million ($23.50 per share).[20] Intel's third employee was Andy Grove,[22] a chemical engineer, who later ran the company through much of the 1980s and the high-growth 1990s.
In deciding on a name, Moore and Noyce quickly rejected 'Moore Noyce',[23] near homophone for 'more noise' – an ill-suited name for an electronics company, since noise in electronics is usually undesirable and typically associated with bad interference. Instead, they founded the company as N M Electronics on July 18, 1968, but by the end of the month had changed the name to Intel which stood for Integrated Electronics.[note 1] Since 'Intel' was already trademarked by the hotel chain Intelco, they had to buy the rights for the name.[20][29]
Early history[edit]
At its founding, Intel was distinguished by its ability to make logic circuits using semiconductor devices. The founders' goal was the semiconductor memory market, widely predicted to replace magnetic-core memory. Its first product, a quick entry into the small, high-speed memory market in 1969, was the 3101 Schottky TTLbipolar 64-bit static random-access memory (SRAM), which was nearly twice as fast as earlier Schottky diode implementations by Fairchild and the Electrotechnical Laboratory in Tsukuba, Japan.[30][31] In the same year, Intel also produced the 3301 Schottky bipolar 1024-bit read-only memory (ROM)[32] and the first commercial metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) silicon gate SRAM chip, the 256-bit 1101.[20][33][34] While the 1101 was a significant advance, its complex static cell structure made it too slow and costly for mainframe memories. The three-transistor cell implemented in the first commercially available dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), the 1103 released in 1970, solved these issues. The 1103 was the bestselling semiconductor memory chip in the world by 1972, as it replaced core memory in many applications.[35][36] Intel's business grew during the 1970s as it expanded and improved its manufacturing processes and produced a wider range of products, still dominated by various memory devices.
Federico Faggin, designer of the Intel 4004
Intel created the first commercially available microprocessor (Intel 4004) in 1971.[20] The microprocessor represented a notable advance in the technology of integrated circuitry, as it miniaturized the central processing unit of a computer, which then made it possible for small machines to perform calculations that in the past only very large machines could do. Considerable technological innovation was needed before the microprocessor could actually become the basis of what was first known as a 'mini computer' and then known as a 'personal computer'.[37] Intel also created one of the first microcomputers in 1973.[33][38] Intel opened its first international manufacturing facility in 1972, in Malaysia, which would host multiple Intel operations, before opening assembly facilities and semiconductor plants in Singapore and Jerusalem in the early 1980s, and manufacturing and development centres in China, India and Costa Rica in the 1990s.[39] By the early 1980s, its business was dominated by dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips. However, increased competition from Japanese semiconductor manufacturers had, by 1983, dramatically reduced the profitability of this market. The growing success of the IBM personal computer, based on an Intel microprocessor, was among factors that convinced Gordon Moore (CEO since 1975) to shift the company's focus to microprocessors and to change fundamental aspects of that business model. Moore's decision to sole-source Intel's 386 chip played into the company's continuing success.
By the end of the 1980s, buoyed by its fortuitous position as microprocessor supplier to IBM and IBM's competitors within the rapidly growing personal computer market, Intel embarked on a 10-year period of unprecedented growth as the primary (and most profitable) hardware supplier to the PC industry, part of the winning 'Wintel' combination. Moore handed over to Andy Grove in 1987. By launching its Intel Inside marketing campaign in 1991, Intel was able to associate brand loyalty with consumer selection, so that by the end of the 1990s, its line of Pentium processors had become a household name.
Slowing demand and challenges to dominance in 2000[edit]
After 2000, growth in demand for high-end microprocessors slowed. Competitors, notably AMD (Intel's largest competitor in its primary x86 architecture market), garnered significant market share, initially in low-end and mid-range processors but ultimately across the product range, and Intel's dominant position in its core market was greatly reduced.[40] In the early 2000s then-CEO, Craig Barrett attempted to diversify the company's business beyond semiconductors, but few of these activities were ultimately successful.
Litigation[edit]
Intel had also for a number of years been embroiled in litigation. US law did not initially recognize intellectual property rights related to microprocessor topology (circuit layouts), until the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984, a law sought by Intel and the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).[41] During the late 1980s and 1990s (after this law was passed), Intel also sued companies that tried to develop competitor chips to the 80386CPU.[42] The lawsuits were noted to significantly burden the competition with legal bills, even if Intel lost the suits.[42]Antitrust allegations had been simmering since the early 1990s and had been the cause of one lawsuit against Intel in 1991. In 2004 and 2005, AMD brought further claims against Intel related to unfair competition.
Regaining of momentum (2005–2007)[edit]
In 2005, CEO Paul Otellini reorganized the company to refocus its core processor and chipset business on platforms (enterprise, digital home, digital health, and mobility).
In 2006, Intel unveiled its Core microarchitecture to widespread critical acclaim;[43] the product range was perceived as an exceptional leap in processor performance that at a stroke regained much of its leadership of the field.[44][45] In 2008, Intel had another 'tick' when it introduced the Penryn microarchitecture, which was 45 nm. Later that year, Intel released a processor with the Nehalem architecture. Nehalem had positive reviews.[46]
Sale of XScale processor business (2006)[edit]
On June 27, 2006, the sale of Intel's XScale assets was announced. Intel agreed to sell the XScale processor business to Marvell Technology Group for an estimated $600 million and the assumption of unspecified liabilities. The move was intended to permit Intel to focus its resources on its core x86 and server businesses, and the acquisition completed on November 9, 2006.[47]
Acquisitions and investments (2010–present)[edit]
In 2010, Intel purchased McAfee, a manufacturer of computer security technology, for $7.68 billion.[48] As a condition for regulatory approval of the transaction, Intel agreed to provide rival security firms with all necessary information that would allow their products to use Intel's chips and personal computers.[49] After the acquisition, Intel had about 90,000 employees, including about 12,000 software engineers.[50] In September 2016, Intel sold a majority stake in its computer-security unit to TPG Capital, reversing the five-year-old McAfee acquisition.[51]
In August 2010, Intel and Infineon Technologies announced that Intel would acquire Infineon's Wireless Solutions business.[52] Intel planned to use Infineon's technology in laptops, smart phones, netbooks, tablets and embedded computers in consumer products, eventually integrating its wireless modem into Intel's silicon chips.[53]
In March 2011, Intel bought most of the assets of Cairo-based SySDSoft.[54]
In July 2011, Intel announced that it had agreed to acquire Fulcrum Microsystems Inc., a company specializing in network switches.[55] The company used to be included on the EE Times list of 60 Emerging Startups.[55]
In October 2011, Intel reached a deal to acquire Telmap, an Israeli-based navigation software company. The purchase price was not disclosed, but Israeli media reported values around $300 million to $350 million.[56]
In July 2012, Intel agreed to buy 10% of the shares of ASML Holding NV for $2.1 billion and another $1 billion for 5% of the shares that need shareholder approval to fund relevant research and development efforts, as part of a EUR3.3 billion ($4.1 billion) deal to accelerate the development of 450-millimeter wafer technology and extreme ultra-violet lithography by as much as two years.[57]
In July 2013, Intel confirmed the acquisition of Omek Interactive, an Israeli company that makes technology for gesture-based interfaces, without disclosing the monetary value of the deal. An official statement from Intel read: 'The acquisition of Omek Interactive will help increase Intel's capabilities in the delivery of more immersive perceptual computing experiences.' One report estimated the value of the acquisition between US$30 million and $50 million.[58]
The acquisition of a Spanish natural language recognition startup, Indisys was announced in September 2013. The terms of the deal were not disclosed but an email from an Intel representative stated: 'Intel has acquired Indisys, a privately held company based in Seville, Spain. The majority of Indisys employees joined Intel. We signed the agreement to acquire the company on May 31 and the deal has been completed.' Indysis explains that its artificial intelligence (AI) technology 'is a human image, which converses fluently and with common sense in multiple languages and also works in different platforms.'[59]
In December 2014, Intel bought PasswordBox.[60]
In January 2015, Intel purchased a 30% stake in Vuzix, a smart glasses manufacturer. The deal was worth $24.8 million.[61]
In February 2015, Intel announced its agreement to purchase German network chipmaker Lantiq, to aid in its expansion of its range of chips in devices with Internet connection capability.[62]
In June 2015, Intel announced its agreement to purchase FPGA design company Altera for $16.7 billion, in its largest acquisition to date.[63] The acquisition completed in December 2015.[64]
In October 2015, Intel bought cognitive computing company Saffron Technology for an undisclosed price.[65]
In August 2016, Intel purchased deep-learning startup Nervana Systems for $350 million.[66]
In December 2016, Intel acquired computer vision startup Movidius for an undisclosed price.[67]
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In March 2017, Intel announced that they had agreed to purchase Mobileye, an Israeli developer of 'autonomous driving' systems for US$15.3 billion.[68]
In June 2017, Intel Corporation announced an investment of over Rs.1100 crore ($170 million) for its upcoming Research and Development (R&D) centre in Bangalore.[69]
In January 2019, Intel announced an investment of over $11 billion on a new Israeli chip plant, as told by the Israeli Finance Minister.[70]
Acquisition table (2009–present)[edit]
Number | Acquisition announcement date | Company | Business | Country | Price | Used as or integrated with | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | June 4, 2009 | Wind River Systems | Embedded Systems | US | $884M | Software | [71] |
2 | August 19, 2010 | McAfee | Security | US | $7.6B | Software | [72] |
3 | August 30, 2010 | Infineon (partial) | Wireless | Germany | $1.4B | Mobile CPUs | [73] |
4 | March 17, 2011 | Silicon Hive | DSP | Netherlands | N/A | Mobile CPUs | [74] |
5 | September 29, 2011 | Telmap | Software | Israel | N/A | Location Services | [75] |
6 | October 30, 2011 | Invision | Software | Israel | $50–60M | Software | [76] |
7 | April 13, 2013 | Mashery | API Management | US | $180M | Software | [77] |
8 | May 6, 2013 | Stonesoft Corporation | Security | Finland | $389M | Software | [78] |
9 | July 16, 2013 | Omek Interactive | Gesture | Israel | N/A | Software | [58] |
10 | September 13, 2013 | Indisys | Natural language processing | Spain | N/A | Software | [59] |
11 | March 25, 2014 | BASIS | Wearable | US | N/A | New Devices | [79] |
12 | August 13, 2014 | Avago Technologies (partial) | Semiconductor | US | $650M | Communications Processors | [80] |
13 | December 1, 2014 | PasswordBox | Security | Canada | N/A | Software | [81] |
14 | January 5, 2015 | Vuzix | Wearable | US | $24.8M | New Devices | [82] |
15 | February 2, 2015 | Lantiq | Telecom | Germany | undisclosed | Gateways | [83] |
16 | June 1, 2015 | Altera | Semiconductor | US | $16.7B | FPGA | [63] |
17 | June 18, 2015 | Recon | Wearable | US | $175M | New Devices | [84] |
18 | October 26, 2015 | Saffron Technology | Cognitive computing | US | undisclosed | Software | [65] |
19 | January 4, 2016 | Ascending Technologies | UAVs | Germany | undisclosed | New Technology | [85] |
20 | March 9, 2016 | Replay Technologies | Video technology | Israel | undisclosed | 3D video technology | [86] |
21 | April 5, 2016 | Yogitech | IoT security and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. | Italy | undisclosed | Software | [87] |
22 | August 9, 2016 | Nervana Systems | Machine learning technology | US | $350M | New Technology | [88] |
23 | Sept 6, 2016 | Movidius | Computer vision | Ireland | undisclosed | New Technology | [67] |
24 | March 16, 2017 | MobilEye | Autonomous vehicle technology | Israel | $15B | Self driving technology | [89][90] |
25 | April 16, 2019 | Omnitek | FPGA Video Acceleration | UK | undisclosed | Video acceleration | [91][92] |
Expansions (2008–2011)[edit]
In 2008, Intel spun off key assets of a solar startup business effort to form an independent company, SpectraWatt Inc. In 2011, SpectraWatt filed for bankruptcy.[93]
In February 2011, Intel began to build a new microprocessor manufacturing facility in Chandler, Arizona, completed in 2013 at a cost of $5 billion.[94] The building was never used.[95] The company produces three-quarters of its products in the United States, although three-quarters of its revenue come from overseas.[96]
In April 2011, Intel began a pilot project with ZTE Corporation to produce smartphones using the Intel Atom processor for China's domestic market.
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In December 2011, Intel announced that it reorganized several of its business units into a new mobile and communications group[97] that would be responsible for the company's smartphone, tablet, and wireless efforts.
Opening up the foundries to other manufacturers (2013)[edit]
Finding itself with excess fab capacity after the failure of the Ultrabook to gain market traction and with PC sales declining, in 2013 Intel reached a foundry agreement to produce chips for Altera using 14-nm process. General Manager of Intel's custom foundry division Sunit Rikhi indicated that Intel would pursue further such deals in the future.[98] This was after poor sales of Windows 8 hardware caused a major retrenchment for most of the major semiconductor manufacturers, except for Qualcomm, which continued to see healthy purchases from its largest customer, Apple.[99]
As of July 2013, five companies were using Intel's fabs via the Intel Custom Foundry division: Achronix, Tabula, Netronome, Microsemi, and Panasonic – most are field-programmable gate array (FPGA) makers, but Netronome designs network processors. Only Achronix began shipping chips made by Intel using the 22-nm Tri-Gate process.[100][101] Several other customers also exist but were not announced at the time.[102]
The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) was launched in October 2013 and Intel is part of the coalition of public and private organisations that also includes Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. Led by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the A4AI seeks to make Internet access more affordable so that access is broadened in the developing world, where only 31% of people are online. Google will help to decrease Internet access prices so that they fall below the UN Broadband Commission's worldwide target of 5% of monthly income.[103]
In October 2018, Arm Holdings partnered with Intel in order to share code for embedded systems through the Yocto Project.[104]
Product and market history[edit]
SRAMS and the microprocessor[edit]
Intel's first products were shift register memory and random-access memory integrated circuits, and Intel grew to be a leader in the fiercely competitive DRAM, SRAM, and ROM markets throughout the 1970s. Concurrently, Intel engineers Marcian Hoff, Federico Faggin, Stanley Mazor and Masatoshi Shima invented Intel's first microprocessor. Originally developed for the Japanese company Busicom to replace a number of ASICs in a calculator already produced by Busicom, the Intel 4004 was introduced to the mass market on November 15, 1971, though the microprocessor did not become the core of Intel's business until the mid-1980s. (Note: Intel is usually given credit with Texas Instruments for the almost-simultaneous invention of the microprocessor)
From DRAM to microprocessors[edit]
In 1983, at the dawn of the personal computer era, Intel's profits came under increased pressure from Japanese memory-chip manufacturers, and then-president Andy Grove focused the company on microprocessors. Grove described this transition in the book Only the Paranoid Survive. A key element of his plan was the notion, then considered radical, of becoming the single source for successors to the popular 8086 microprocessor.
Until then, the manufacture of complex integrated circuits was not reliable enough for customers to depend on a single supplier, but Grove began producing processors in three geographically distinct factories,[which?] and ceased licensing the chip designs to competitors such as Zilog and AMD.[citation needed] When the PC industry boomed in the late 1980s and 1990s, Intel was one of the primary beneficiaries.
Intel, x86 processors, and the IBM PC[edit]
The die from an Intel 8742, an 8-bit microcontroller that includes a CPU running at 12 MHz, 128 bytes of RAM, 2048 bytes of EPROM, and I/O in the same chip
Despite the ultimate importance of the microprocessor, the 4004 and its successors the 8008 and the 8080 were never major revenue contributors at Intel. As the next processor, the 8086 (and its variant the 8088) was completed in 1978, Intel embarked on a major marketing and sales campaign for that chip nicknamed 'Operation Crush', and intended to win as many customers for the processor as possible. One design win was the newly created IBM PC division, though the importance of this was not fully realized at the time.
IBM introduced its personal computer in 1981, and it was rapidly successful. In 1982, Intel created the 80286 microprocessor, which, two years later, was used in the IBM PC/AT. Compaq, the first IBM PC 'clone' manufacturer, produced a desktop system based on the faster 80286 processor in 1985 and in 1986 quickly followed with the first 80386-based system, beating IBM and establishing a competitive market for PC-compatible systems and setting up Intel as a key component supplier.
In 1975, the company had started a project to develop a highly advanced 32-bit microprocessor, finally released in 1981 as the Intel iAPX 432. The project was too ambitious and the processor was never able to meet its performance objectives, and it failed in the marketplace. Intel extended the x86 architecture to 32 bits instead.[105][106]
386 microprocessor[edit]
During this period Andrew Grove dramatically redirected the company, closing much of its DRAM business and directing resources to the microprocessor business. Of perhaps greater importance was his decision to 'single-source' the 386 microprocessor. Prior to this, microprocessor manufacturing was in its infancy, and manufacturing problems frequently reduced or stopped production, interrupting supplies to customers. To mitigate this risk, these customers typically insisted that multiple manufacturers produce chips they could use to ensure a consistent supply. The 8080 and 8086-series microprocessors were produced by several companies, notably AMD, with which Intel had a technology-sharing contract. Grove made the decision not to license the 386 design to other manufacturers, instead, producing it in three geographically distinct factories: Santa Clara, California; Hillsboro, Oregon; and Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. He convinced customers that this would ensure consistent delivery. In doing this, Intel breached its contract with AMD, which sued and was paid millions of dollars in damages but could not manufacture new Intel CPU designs any longer. (Instead, AMD started to develop and manufacture its own competing x86 designs.) As the success of Compaq's Deskpro 386 established the 386 as the dominant CPU choice, Intel achieved a position of near-exclusive dominance as its supplier. Profits from this funded rapid development of both higher-performance chip designs and higher-performance manufacturing capabilities, propelling Intel to a position of unquestioned leadership by the early 1990s.
486, Pentium, and Itanium[edit]
Intel introduced the 486 microprocessor in 1989, and in 1990 established a second design team, designing the processors code-named 'P5' and 'P6' in parallel and committing to a major new processor every two years, versus the four or more years such designs had previously taken. Engineers Vinod Dham and Rajeev Chandrasekhar (Member of Parliament, India) were key figures on the core team that invented the 486 chip and later, Intel's signature Pentium chip. The P5 project was earlier known as 'Operation Bicycle,' referring to the cycles of the processor through two parallel execution pipelines. The P5 was introduced in 1993 as the Intel Pentium, substituting a registered trademark name for the former part number (numbers, such as 486, cannot be legally registered as trademarks in the United States). The P6 followed in 1995 as the Pentium Pro and improved into the Pentium II in 1997. New architectures were developed alternately in Santa Clara, California and Hillsboro, Oregon.
The Santa Clara design team embarked in 1993 on a successor to the x86 architecture, codenamed 'P7'. The first attempt was dropped a year later but quickly revived in a cooperative program with Hewlett-Packard engineers, though Intel soon took over primary design responsibility. The resulting implementation of the IA-64 64-bit architecture was the Itanium, finally introduced in June 2001. The Itanium's performance running legacy x86 code did not meet expectations, and it failed to compete effectively with x86-64, which was AMD's 64-bit extension of the 32-bit x86 architecture (Intel uses the name Intel 64, previously EM64T). In 2017, Intel announced that the Itanium 9700 series (Kittson) would be the last Itanium chips produced.[107][108]
The Hillsboro team designed the Willamette processors (initially code-named P68), which were marketed as the Pentium 4.[citation needed]
Pentium flaw[edit]
In June 1994, Intel engineers discovered a flaw in the floating-point math subsection of the P5Pentium microprocessor. Under certain During Thanksgiving, in 1994, The New York Times ran a piece by journalist John Markoff spotlighting the error. Intel changed its position and offered to replace every chip, quickly putting in place a large end-user support organization. This resulted in a $475 million charge against Intel's 1994 revenue.[111] Dr. Nicely later learned that Intel had discovered the FDIV bug in its own testing a few months before him (but had decided not to inform customers).[112]
The 'Pentium flaw' incident, Intel's response to it, and the surrounding media coverage propelled Intel from being a technology supplier generally unknown to most computer users to a household name. Dovetailing with an uptick in the 'Intel Inside' campaign, the episode is considered to have been a positive event for Intel, changing some of its business practices to be more end-user focused and generating substantial public awareness, while avoiding a lasting negative impression.[113]
'Intel Inside' and other campaigns[edit]
The 'Intel Inside' logo used from 1991 to 2006
During this period, Intel undertook two major supporting advertising campaigns. The first campaign, the 1991 'Intel Inside' marketing and branding campaign, is widely known and has become synonymous with Intel itself. The idea of 'ingredient branding' was new at the time, with only NutraSweet and a few others making attempts to do so.[114] This campaign established Intel, which had been a component supplier little-known outside the PC industry, as a household name.
The second campaign, Intel's Systems Group, which began in the early 1990s, showcased manufacturing of PC motherboards, the main board component of a personal computer, and the one into which the processor (CPU) and memory (RAM) chips are plugged.[115] The Systems Group campaign was lesser known than the Intel Inside campaign.
Shortly after, Intel began manufacturing fully configured 'white box' systems for the dozens of PC clone companies that rapidly sprang up.[citation needed] At its peak in the mid-1990s, Intel manufactured over 15% of all PCs, making it the third-largest supplier at the time.[citation needed]
During the 1990s, Intel Architecture Labs (IAL) was responsible for many of the hardware innovations for the PC, including the PCI Bus, the PCI Express (PCIe) bus, and Universal Serial Bus (USB). IAL's software efforts met with a more mixed fate; its video and graphics software was important in the development of software digital video,[citation needed] but later its efforts were largely overshadowed by competition from Microsoft. The competition between Intel and Microsoft was revealed in testimony by then IAL Vice-President Steven McGeady at the Microsoft antitrust trial (United States v. Microsoft Corp.).
2018-2019 security flaws[edit]
In early January 2018, it was reported that all Intel processors made since 1995[116][117] (besides Intel Itanium and pre-2013 Intel Atom) have been subject to two security flaws dubbed Meltdown and Spectre.[118][119]
The impact on performance resulting from software patches is 'workload-dependent'. Several procedures to help protect home computers and related devices from the Spectre and Meltdown security vulnerabilities have been published.[120][121][122][123] Spectre patches have been reported to significantly slow down performance, especially on older computers; on the newer 8th generation Core platforms, benchmark performance drops of 2–14 percent have been measured.[124] Meltdown patches may also produce performance loss.[125][126][127] It is believed that 'hundreds of millions' of systems could be affected by these flaws.[117][128]
On March 15, 2018, Intel reported that it will redesign its CPU processors (performance losses to be determined) to protect against the Spectre security vulnerability, and expects to release the newly redesigned processors later in 2018.[129][130]
On May 3, 2018, eight additional Spectre-class flaws were reported. Intel reported that they are preparing new patches to mitigate these flaws.[131]
On August 14, 2018, Intel disclosed three additional chip flaws referred to as L1 Terminal Fault (L1TF). They reported that previously released microcode updates, along with new, pre-release microcode updates can be used to mitigate these flaws.[132][133]
On January 18th, 2019, Intel disclosed three new vulnerabilities affecting all Intel CPUs, named 'Fallout', 'RIDL', and 'ZombieLoad', allowing a program to read information recently wrote, read data in the line-fill buffers and load ports, and leak information from other processes and virtual machines.[134][135][136] Recent Coffeelake-series CPUs are even more vulnerable, due to hardware mitigations for Spectre.[citation needed]
Remote Keyboard Android App[edit]
Intel has decided to discontinue with their recent Intel Remote Keyboard Android app after encountering several security bugs. This app was launched in early 2015 to help users control Intel single-board computers and Intel NUC. The company has asked Remote Keyboard Users to delete the app at their first convenience.[137]
Solid-state drives (SSD)[edit]
An Intel X25-M SSD
In 2008, Intel began shipping mainstream solid-state drives (SSDs) with up to 160 GB storage capacities.[138] As with their CPUs, Intel develops SSD chips using ever-smaller nanometer processes. These SSDs make use of industry standards such as NAND flash,[139]mSATA,[140]PCIe, and NVMe. In 2017, Intel introduced SSDs based on 3D XPoint technology under the Optane brand name.[141]
Supercomputers[edit]
The Intel Scientific Computers division was founded in 1984 by Justin Rattner, to design and produce parallel computers based on Intel microprocessors connected in hypercube internetwork topology.[142] In 1992, the name was changed to the Intel Supercomputing Systems Division, and development of the iWarp architecture was also subsumed.[143] The division designed several supercomputer systems, including the Intel iPSC/1, iPSC/2, iPSC/860, Paragon and ASCI Red. In November 2014, Intel revealed that it is going to use light beams to speed up supercomputers.[144]
Mobile Linux software[edit]
In 2007 Intel formed the Moblin project to create an open sourceLinux operating system for x86-based mobile devices. Following the success of Google's Android platform which ran exclusively on ARM processors, Intel announced on February 15, 2010, that it would partner with Nokia and merge Moblin with Nokia's ARM-based Maemo project to create MeeGo.[145] MeeGo was supported by the Linux Foundation.[146]
In February 2011 Nokia left the project after partnering with Microsoft, leaving Intel in sole charge of MeeGo. An Intel spokeswoman said it was 'disappointed' by Nokia's decision but that Intel was committed to MeeGo.[147] In September 2011 Intel stopped working on MeeGo and partnered with Samsung to create Tizen, a new project hosted by the Linux Foundation.[148] Intel has since been co-developing the Tizen operating system which runs on several Samsung devices.
Competition, antitrust and espionage[edit]
Two factors combined to end this dominance: the slowing of PC demand growth beginning in 2000 and the rise of the low-cost PC. By the end of the 1990s, microprocessor performance had outstripped software demand for that CPU power. Aside from high-end server systems and software, whose demand dropped with the end of the 'dot-com bubble', consumer systems ran effectively on increasingly low-cost systems after 2000. Intel's strategy of producing ever-more-powerful processors and obsoleting their predecessors stumbled,[citation needed] leaving an opportunity for rapid gains by competitors, notably AMD. This, in turn, lowered the profitability[citation needed] of the processor line and ended an era of unprecedented dominance of the PC hardware by Intel.[citation needed]
Intel's dominance in the x86 microprocessor market led to numerous charges of antitrust violations over the years, including FTC investigations in both the late 1980s and in 1999, and civil actions such as the 1997 suit by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and a patent suit by Intergraph. Intel's market dominance (at one time[when?] it controlled over 85% of the market for 32-bit x86 microprocessors) combined with Intel's own hardball legal tactics (such as its infamous 338 patent suit versus PC manufacturers)[149] made it an attractive target for litigation, but few of the lawsuits ever amounted to anything.[clarification needed]
A case of industrial espionage arose in 1995 that involved both Intel and AMD. Bill Gaede, an Argentine formerly employed both at AMD and at Intel's Arizona plant, was arrested for attempting in 1993 to sell the i486 and P5 Pentium designs to AMD and to certain foreign powers.[150] Gaede videotaped data from his computer screen at Intel and mailed it to AMD, which immediately alerted Intel and authorities, resulting in Gaede's arrest. Gaede was convicted and sentenced to 33 months in prison in June 1996.[151][152]
Use of Intel products by Apple Computer (2005–present)[edit]
On June 6, 2005, Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, announced that Apple would be transitioning from its long favored PowerPC architecture to the Intel x86 architecture because the future PowerPC road map was unable to satisfy Apple's needs. The first Macintosh computers containing Intel CPUs were announced on January 10, 2006, and Apple had its entire line of consumer Macs running on Intel processors by early August 2006. The Apple Xserve server was updated to Intel Xeon processors from November 2006 and was offered in a configuration similar to Apple's Mac Pro.[153]
Core 2 Duo advertisement controversy (2007)[edit]
In July 2007, the company released a print advertisement for its Intel Core 2 Duo processor featuring six African-American runners appearing to bow down to a Caucasian male inside of an office setting (due to the posture taken by runners on starting blocks). According to Nancy Bhagat, Vice President of Intel Corporate Marketing, viewers found the ad to be 'insensitive and insulting', and several Intel executives made public apologies.[154]
Introduction of Classmate PC (2011)[edit]
The Classmate PC is the company's first low-cost netbook computer.[155] In 2014, the company released an updated version of the Classmate PC.[156]
Introduction of new mobile processor technology (2011)[edit]
In June 2011, Intel introduced the first Pentium mobile processor based on the Sandy Bridge core. The B940, clocked at 2 GHz, is faster than existing or upcoming mobile Celerons, although it is almost identical to dual-core Celeron CPUs in all other aspects.[157] According to IHS iSuppli's report on September 28, 2011, Sandy Bridge chips have helped Intel increase its market share in global processor market to 81.8%, while AMD's market share dropped to 10.4%.[158]
Intel planned to introduce Medfield – a processor for tablets and smartphones – to the market in 2012, as an effort to compete with ARM.[159] As a 32-nanometer processor, Medfield is designed to be energy-efficient, which is one of the core features in ARM's chips.[160]
At the Intel Developers Forum (IDF) 2011 in San Francisco, Intel's partnership with Google was announced. By January 2012, Google's Android 2.3 will use Intel's Atom microprocessor.[161][162][163]
Update to server chips (2011)[edit]
In July 2011, Intel announced that its server chips, the Xeon series, will use new sensors that can improve data center cooling efficiency.[164]
Introduction of Ivy Bridge 22 nm processors (2011)[edit]
In 2011, Intel announced the Ivy Bridge processor family at the Intel Developer Forum.[165] Ivy Bridge supports both DDR3 memory and DDR3L chips.
Development of Personal Office Energy Monitor (POEM) (2011)[edit]
As part of its efforts in the Positive Energy Buildings Consortium, Intel has been developing an application, called Personal Office Energy Monitor (POEM), to help office buildings to be more energy-efficient. With this application, employees can get the power consumption info for their office machines, so that they can figure out a better way to save energy in their working environment.[166]
IT Manager series[edit]
Intel has introduced some simulation games, starting in 2009 with web-based IT Manager 3: Unseen Forces. In it, the player manages a company's IT department. The goal is to apply technology and skill to enable the company to grow from a small business into a global enterprise.[167][better source needed] The game has since been discontinued and succeeded in 2012 by the web-based multiplayer game IT Manager: Duels, which is no longer available.[citation needed]
Car Security System (2011)[edit]
In 2011, Intel announced that it is working on a car security system that connects to smartphones via an application. The application works by streaming video to a cloud service if a car armed with the system is broken into.[168]
High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection[edit]
Intel also developed High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) to prevent access of digital audio and video content as it travels across connections.
Move from Wintel desktop to open mobile platforms (2013–2014)[edit]
In 2013, Intel's Kirk Skaugen said that Intel's exclusive focus on Microsoft platforms was a thing of the past and that they would now support all 'tier-one operating systems' such as Linux, Android, iOS, and Chrome.[169]
In 2014, Intel cut thousands of employees in response to 'evolving market trends',[170] and offered to subsidize manufacturers for the extra costs involved in using Intel chips in their tablets.[171]
Introduction of Haswell processors (2013)[edit]
In June 2013, Intel unveiled its fourth generation of Intel Core processors (Haswell) in an event named Computex in Taipei.[172]
Wearable fashion (2014)[edit]
On January 6, 2014, Intel announced that it was 'teaming with the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Barneys New York and Opening Ceremony around the wearable tech field.'[173]
Intel developed a reference design for wearable smart earbuds that provide biometric and fitness information. The Intel smart earbuds provide full stereo audio, and monitor heart rate, while the applications on the user's phone keep track of run distance and calories burned.
CNBC reported that Intel eliminated the division that worked on health wearables in 2017.[174]
Fog computing[edit]
On November 19, 2015, Intel, alongside ARM Holdings, Dell, Cisco Systems, Microsoft, and Princeton University, founded the OpenFog Consortium, to promote interests and development in fog computing.[175] Intel's Chief Strategist for the IoT Strategy and Technology Office, Jeff Faders, became the consortium's first president.[176]
Conflict-free production[edit]
In 2009, Intel announced that it planned to undertake an effort to remove conflict resources—materials sourced from mines whose profits are used to fund armed militant groups, particularly within the Democratic Republic of the Congo—from its supply chain. Intel sought conflict-free sources of the precious metals common to electronics from within the country, using a system of first- and third-party audits, as well as input from the Enough Project and other organizations. During a keynote address at Consumer Electronics Show 2014, Intel CEO at the time, Brian Krzanich, announced that the company's microprocessors would henceforth be conflict free. In 2016, Intel stated that it had expected its entire supply chain to be conflict-free by the end of the year.[177][178][179]
Self driving cars[edit]
Intel is one of the biggest stakeholders in the self-driving car industry, having joined the race in mid 2017[180] after joining forces with Mobileye.[181] The company is also one of the first in the sector to research consumer acceptance, after an AAA report quoted a 78% nonacceptance rate of the technology in the US.[182]
Safety levels of the technology, the thought of abandoning control to a machine, and psychological comfort of passengers in such situations were the major discussion topics initially. The commuters also stated that they did not want to see everything the car was doing. This was primarily a referral to the auto-steering wheel with no one sitting in the driving seat. Intel also learned that voice control regulator is vital, and the interface between the humans and machine eases the discomfort condition, and brings some sense of control back.[183] It is important to mention that Intel included only 10 people in this study, which makes the study less credible.[182] In a video posted on YouTube,[184] Intel accepted this fact and called for further testing.
Corporate affairs[edit]
Leadership and corporate structure[edit]
Paul Otellini, Craig Barrett and Sean Maloney (2006)
Robert Noyce was Intel's CEO at its founding in 1968, followed by co-founder Gordon Moore in 1975. Andy Grove became the company's president in 1979 and added the CEO title in 1987 when Moore became chairman. In 1998, Grove succeeded Moore as Chairman, and Craig Barrett, already company president, took over. On May 18, 2005, Barrett handed the reins of the company over to Paul Otellini, who had been the company president and COO and who was responsible for Intel's design win in the original IBM PC. The board of directors elected Otellini as President and CEO, and Barrett replaced Grove as Chairman of the Board. Grove stepped down as chairman but is retained as a special adviser. In May 2009, Barrett stepped down as chairman of the Board and was succeeded by Jane Shaw. In May 2012, Intel vice chairman Andy Bryant, who had held the posts of CFO (1994) and Chief Administrative Officer (2007) at Intel, succeeded Shaw as executive chairman.[185]
In November 2012, president and CEO Paul Otellini announced that he would step down in May 2013 at the age of 62, three years before the company's mandatory retirement age. During a six-month transition period, Intel's board of directors commenced a search process for the next CEO, in which it considered both internal managers and external candidates such as Sanjay Jha and Patrick Gelsinger.[186] Financial results revealed that, under Otellini, Intel's revenue increased by 55.8 percent (US$34.2 to 53.3 billion), while its net income increased by 46.7% (US$7.5 billion to 11 billion).[187]
On May 2, 2013, Executive Vice President and COO Brian Krzanich was elected as Intel's sixth CEO,[188] a selection that became effective on May 16, 2013, at the company's annual meeting. Reportedly, the board concluded that an insider could proceed with the role and exert an impact more quickly, without the need to learn Intel's processes, and Krzanich was selected on such a basis.[189] Intel's software head Renée James was selected as president of the company, a role that is second to the CEO position.[190]
As of May 2013, Intel's board of directors consists of Andy Bryant, John Donahoe, Frank Yeary, Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky, Susan Decker, Reed Hundt, Paul Otellini, James Plummer, David Pottruck, and David Yoffie and Creative director will.i.am. The board was described by former Financial Times journalist Tom Foremski as 'an exemplary example of corporate governance of the highest order' and received a rating of ten from GovernanceMetrics International, a form of recognition that has only been awarded to twenty-one other corporate boards worldwide.[191]
On June 21, 2018, Intel announced the resignation of Brian Krzanich as CEO, with the exposure of a relationship he had with an employee. Bob Swan was named interim CEO, as the Board began a search for a permanent CEO.
On January 31, 2019, Swan transitioned from his role as CFO and interim CEO and was named by the Board as the 7th CEO to lead the company.[192]
Ownership[edit]
As of 2017 Intel shares are mainly held by institutional investors (The Vanguard Group, BlackRock, Capital Group Companies, State Street Corporation and others[193])
Employment[edit]
Intel microprocessor facility in Costa Rica was responsible in 2006 for 20% of Costa Rican exports and 4.9% of the country's GDP.[194]
The firm promotes very heavily from within, most notably in its executive suite. The company has resisted the trend toward outsider CEOs. Paul Otellini was a 30-year veteran of the company when he assumed the role of CEO. All of his top lieutenants have risen through the ranks after many years with the firm. In many cases, Intel's top executives have spent their entire