NVIDIA Explores Intel Foundry for Next-Gen AI Chip Production in Strategic Supply Chain Diversification
January 28, 2026
In a significant move to mitigate supply chain risks and secure advanced manufacturing capacity, NVIDIA is reportedly in discussions to utilize Intel Foundry’s cutting-edge process technologies for a portion of its next-generation Feynman AI accelerators. This potential partnership signals a notable shift in the semiconductor landscape, where NVIDIA, like other major fabless chip designers, is actively seeking to reduce its reliance on a single foundry partner amidst soaring demand and geopolitical uncertainties.
According to a report from DigiTimes, NVIDIA is evaluating Intel’s 18A and 14A process nodes, alongside Intel’s Embedded Multi-die Interconnect Bridge (EMIB) advanced packaging technology, for the production of the Feynman chip’s I/O die. The collaboration is characterized as a "low-risk" initial step, where Intel would handle approximately 25% of the total Feynman production volume. The remaining majority of manufacturing, including the core compute dies, is expected to stay with NVIDIA’s primary partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).
The pursuit of a dual-foundry strategy is driven by critical bottlenecks in the global AI infrastructure build-out. The industry’s overwhelming dependence on TSMC for both front-end wafer fabrication and advanced back-end packaging has created a concentrated supply risk. This is compounded by intense competition for limited capacity at TSMC, as hyperscalers and chipmakers scramble to secure production slots for AI hardware. By engaging Intel Foundry, NVIDIA aims to diversify its supply base, ensuring volume ramp-up for its flagship AI products is not compromised by potential constraints at a single source.
Beyond the immediate Feynman project, industry observers note that NVIDIA is also considering outsourcing the manufacture of other, non-core products—such as next-generation gaming GPUs—to Intel Foundry. This exploratory phase with Intel’s 18A/14A nodes and EMIB packaging represents a pivotal test for Intel’s foundry ambitions to attract leading-edge external customers. If successful, it could reshape the competitive dynamics of the advanced semiconductor manufacturing sector, currently dominated by TSMC and Samsung.
Source: wccftech
