Processor salesApple has the largest
single block of processor sales which matches their iPhone and iPad sales.
Samsung builds most of them, but not all of them. TSMC shares in that glory as well.
TSMC produces the vast majority of standard ARM chipsets. However this lead is eroding as Mediatek and the other hockey stick boys are cutting into TSMC sales quite a bit of late. Global Foundry is in there as well, as part of the IBM/Samsung/Global Foundry Consortium.
Then number-wise comes Intel, but only in the aggregate of everything they produce. Intel sales are giving up some of what the hockey stick guys are growing on, but since that rising tide is lifting all the boats at the same time, this really isn't so noticeable until the tide stops rising.
That is when folks will notice Intel sitting low in the water compared to the rest.
Microsoft is FIRST in this new Phone/PC effort, as apart from three (3) Oriental organic Android vendors Google has not replied yet. Nor has Apple.
Intel feels the PC market declining most acutely (6-10% year on year on year) as what they picked up in tablet sales was all low margin stuff and you need 10 tablet chipsets to make up the profit margin from one PC processor (assuming you sell the tablet chipset at a profit, and with Intel this is not always true as they are still price supporting tablet chipsets).
Mediatek is shooting at Qualcomm with their big new 10 core chipsets, but the shots that miss Qualcomm seem to be hitting the legs of the Intel giant standing off to the side behind Qualcomm.
Intel is worried because they see their tablet sales losing all form of viability within the next 2 years as ARM chipsets are getting just that much better at a much much lower price.
And they are rightly concerned as both Google and Microsoft are intending to be "processor agnostic" going forward into the future and the newest most powerful ARM chipsets rank right up in the mass of Intel laptop processor units as far as processing power and graphics go --- and the ARM stuff is much much cheaper.
Both Qualcomm and Mediatek are making Intel sweat right now, as is the new Apple A10 and A10x chipset that is under pilot lot production right now.
http://9to5mac.com/2015/01/14/apple-a-series-chips-mac/ Apple is the only one still left that
only uses Intel chipsets for laptop/desktop units any more -- and that situation may change at any time as Apple has been working on an ARM chipset for their low end laptops for quite a while now.
A10x is out there, and it is acknowledged by Apple at their last show and tell as a laptop capable chipset.Tablet and Chromebook space are Intel's main ARM battleground fronts, but as the new Nvidia Tegra K1 crew, the Rockchip RK3288/RK3388 and all of the new Mediatek Helio 10 layered cortex A72 cores burst into laptop space this upcoming year -- in 2016 Intel may find all of laptop land joining into the churned earth of the ARM battle zone.
Further confusing Intel's market mayhem is the phone/PC, of which we now have two examples being produced and shipped --by Microsoft of all people, with both using Qualcomm chipsets at this point in time. We currently have 3 organic Android units doing the same sort of thing off of ARM based tablets and phones.
THESE ARE ARM CHIPSETS THAT ARE KEEPING INTEL OUT OF AN ENTIRE BRAND NEW MARKET SEGMENT. Intel
must fire back ASAP, and that return fire is expected to come from the ASUS Zenphone group.
.... change, she comes ..... TSMC just made the news by providing Apple with testing samples of their 10nm production process, thus entering the A10X sweepstakes as a last minute dark horse entry. Since all 3 of the large ARM makers, Samsung Global and TSMC all have 10mm processes ready right now and Intel does not, life just got a little more interesting for Intel next year. ...... Intel should skip 10nm and drive directly for a 7nm non-silicone process -- they have lost out already on the 10nm generation and need to save some face at this point in time ..... If they try with everything they've got mebbe they can compete again at 7nm if the ARM guys haven't gotten there (again) a whole year before Intel does. REMINDER, the IBM, Samsung, Global Foundry Consortium already have a 7nm non-silicone process that was developed and patented by IBM 3-4 months ago. ASML Holdings is building a pilot production line for the Consortium (with Apple possibly footing the bill as it will be their dedicated line for 2018 when it is finally working right).
Speed to the 7nm market is Intel's only possible hope now and they are starting out
3 months behind IBM/Samsung/Global/Apple at this point in time.
Intel had better get on the stick as Apple will want that 7nm chipset as a A11x follow on for the year after next (2018) production year.
Apple has ways of making things happen quicker than you would think it possibly could, but with them owning 33% of ARM Holdings may just have a little something to do with that, don't you think?