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lambdasquirrel

Now we’ll see if the Biden Administration’s anti-trust stance has any bite in it.

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Semiconductor manufacturing is a strategic asset. Antitrust will not apply.

I wonder if browser engines are a strategic asset?

[Gestures at IE vs Netscape]

[Gestures at Chromebooks which 99% of population never run Edge or Firefox on]

(Yes, "the fight" is between Google and Apple now, but still...)

Intel doesn't have much of a foundry business -- they build for themselves -- so if anything this increases competition in the foundry business, if Intel follows up by letting GloFo customers use Intel's best fabs.

Fewer independent companies increase competition? Sounds like something out of a corporate press release.

Intel's market share in the foundry business currently rounds to zero. So no, it's not fewer independent companies in the foundry business, it's the same number, and now the underdog will have access to better fabs.

http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=6...

Like ISPs saying their mergers won't reduce competition because they stay out of each-other's territories.

And if we look at the entire chip-making business, instead of the narrow foundry-for-hire category? Or consider the possibility of Intel expanding (not just buying) into the foundry business?

The only high-end non-memory foundry-not-for-hire left is Intel. It doesn't seem that your comments reflect the actual market.

Also, note that anti-trust law isn't about the possibility of future expansion. Intel already tried to enter the non-memory foundry-for-hire business and failed.

And we can ALWAYS create some artificial distinction between business to justify obvious consolidation. Following parent's idea we would never have too few companies if at least two are left remaining.

Are you referring to me? No, I don't agree with that at all.

Mind you, I've been at 2 organizations that have purchased chips from foundries, and we turned down both Intel and IBM's offers. I'd love to see more competition in that industry, and Intel buying GloFo will add to competition on the high end.

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