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It really is nice to see Moshe take responsibility for the 16nm delay and NOT throw TSMC under the bus. Check out the tone of the two calls and let me know if you see a difference. It is interesting to compare the two conference call transcripts side by side? Much different styles, which one do you prefer?
I heard a bit of the XLNX call but not ALTR. But it appears (maybe its just me?) that Altera is re-thinking its relationship with Intel. Like you pointed out Dani, Moshe didn't throw TSMC under the bus. In fact, he really went out of the way to state that the issue was with Xilinx and not TSMC. From the transcript, Altera didn't appear to be as complimentary towards Intel. One answer that caught my eye when an analyst asked whether they (Altera) had choose a foundry at 10 nm:
[W]e have not made that decision. We have told both, Intel and TSMC, who are working with on the technology that will likely make a decision before the end of the first calendar quarter.
I heard a bit of the XLNX call but not ALTR. But it appears (maybe its just me?) that Altera is re-thinking its relationship with Intel. Like you pointed out Dani, Moshe didn't throw TSMC under the bus. In fact, he really went out of the way to state that the issue was with Xilinx and not TSMC. From the transcript, Altera didn't appear to be as complimentary towards Intel. One answer that caught my eye when an analyst asked whether they (Altera) had choose a foundry at 10 nm:
I highly doubt it. I worked with Altera down to 20nm and found them to be brilliant people but lacking in the execution skills that I see with Xilinx. Getting your FPGA out first is not just a badge of honor, it translates directly into increased market share.
I remember when Altera beat Xilinx to 40nm, it really shook up Xilinx. They moved to TSMC @ 28nm and beat Altera to silicon by 3 months. According to Xilinx they are ahead of Altera @ 20nm by one year. TSMC is all about execution too so partnering with Xilinx is a good fit. Both Altera and Xilinx have delayed FinFET tape outs so who knows what will happen.
I think Altera is just trying to get more attention from Intel. In my opinion it would be really bad for Intel Custom Foundry if Altera passed on their 10nm.
