This Intel Foundry Bullshit – A Summary (Because I Have to)

Right, so apparently the US government, still clinging to some half-baked “national security” fantasy from… well, who even remembers anymore? …has strong-armed Intel into a deal that basically prevents them from selling their foundry business. Yeah, you heard me. The whole point of trying to build up domestic chip manufacturing was so *other* companies could use it, but now they’re shackling Intel with restrictions so tight they can barely breathe.

The deal involves a boatload of subsidies – billions, naturally – tied to conditions that make selling or significantly altering the foundry operation nearly impossible for seven years. Seven *years*. Because apparently trusting private enterprise is just… too risky? They’re worried about foreign entities getting their hands on advanced chip tech, which, okay, fair enough, but this isn’t a solution; it’s bureaucratic hand-wringing disguised as policy.

Intel’s basically stuck with the foundry whether they like it or not. They can try to partner, sure, but good luck finding anyone willing to jump through all those hoops. It’s a mess of convoluted agreements designed by people who clearly haven’t run a business in their lives. The whole thing reeks of political maneuvering and short-sighted thinking. Honestly, it feels like they just want Intel to be a really expensive national project instead of an actual competitive company.

And the worst part? This is probably going to drive up chip prices for everyone. Fantastic. Just *fantastic*.

Source: TechCrunch

Related Anecdote (Because You People Need Context)

Look, I once had to babysit a legacy system held together with duct tape and prayers. The engineers were terrified of changing *anything* because “it just works.” This Intel deal? It’s the same goddamn thing on a national scale. Everyone’s so scared of breaking it they’re refusing to let anyone actually improve it. Pathetic.

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