Sam Altman Not Ready to Use Intel Foundry Yet, But Keeps the Door Open

The question of whether Intel Foundry Services (IFS) can become a competitive alternative to TSMC in advanced semiconductor manufacturing continues to dominate the industry conversation. With growing government-backed initiatives and national interests tied to chip independence, many industry leaders are being asked whether Intel could play a larger role in global chip supply.

In a recent interview with Stratechery, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was asked whether he sees Intel as a potential manufacturing partner alongside TSMC. His answer was direct and pragmatic:

Question: “Well, with this, the problem with this is both Nvidia and AMD are sourced at the same place, so there’s another solitary entity in the value chain, which is TSMC. Do you see a need and responsibility/opportunity to expand the market there as well? Is this something where when it comes to the question of Intel?”

Altman: “I would like TSMC to just build more capacity.”

Question: “What did you think I was asking, about multi-chip suppliers?”

Altman: “Do I see a need to get TSMC to expand their rate of investment in more capacity?”

Altman’s remarks reflect a clear reliance on TSMC’s manufacturing capabilities rather than an eagerness to diversify chip fabrication partners. Although OpenAI is not a chip manufacturer itself, it is widely reported that the company is developing a dedicated AI accelerator that will utilize TSMC’s 3nm process.

His statement does not represent a rejection of Intel, but rather a show of confidence in TSMC’s established consistency and scalability. OpenAI’s focus seems to remain on ensuring reliable production for its hardware ambitions instead of pursuing a dual-sourcing strategy at this stage.

Interestingly, Altman is not alone in this cautious stance. AMD CEO Lisa Su has also given measured responses when asked about using Intel Foundry as a partner, echoing the industry’s wait-and-see approach. Many executives recognize that moving manufacturing to the United States is a long-term goal, but one that will take time as TSMC expands its capacity in Arizona and Intel continues ramping up its own foundry ecosystem.

The real test for Intel’s ambitions will likely come with the 18A process node, which aims to compete head-on with TSMC’s N2 technology. Success here could finally convince more tech giants to trust Intel Foundry for large-scale, high-performance AI and data center chips.

For now, however, the industry’s leading players appear content to rely on TSMC’s dominance, even as they watch Intel’s progress closely from the sidelines.

Do you think Intel can convince companies like OpenAI or AMD to adopt its 18A node in the future, or will TSMC continue to reign supreme?