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People are still apparently using Intel's C++ compiler despite all the free ones that are available. An overview of their compiler can be found here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_C%2B%2B_Compiler#Overvie...

Intel's compiler writers might have a competitive advantage because they have access to the people who designed the chips. Understanding their machine architecture better than anyone else in the world might enable them to generate faster machine code.

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I don't understand how they wouldn't be better served contributing to gcc/llvm instead?

My experience is that in lots of situations, the Intel C++ compiler generates slightly faster code than gcc (Intel C++ compilation times are slow as hell, though). So it might boil down to: what price are you ready to pay to get a 5% throughput boost?

A closed source project can license other closed source technologies, can maintain trade secrets, set its own roadmap and not expend energy on open source community politics. For Intel this means technical decisions about their compiler about can align with future chip technologies and be tuned around undisclosed aspects of a chip's design.

GPL for GCC would make that difficult and LLVM already has an 800 pound gorilla of a corporate backing.

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