Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Mar 18, 2013 (1)

choi

(1) Bruce Einhorn, Ian King, and Tim Culpan, Intel Takes On Chip-Production King Taiwan Semiconductor.
http://www.businessweek.com/arti ... aiwan-semiconductor

Quote:

"In late February, though, Altera announced that it’s taking its advanced chip orders to Intel (INTC), which has traditionally focused on making its own microprocessors rather than producing those of other firms. With PC sales in the doldrums, the world’s biggest chipmaker needs to find new uses for its excess production capacity.

"Intel has also signed up as clients smaller designers such as Tabula and Achronix Semiconductor. And it will produce chips for Cisco Systems (CSCO), say two people with knowledge of the matter who aren’t authorized to discuss it publicly. Those wins are just warm-ups as Intel battles TSMC and other foundries for a much bigger prize: Apple (AAPL). The iPhone maker spent $3.9 billion last year on custom chips from Samsung Electronics, according to data from IC Insights, and wants to diversify its chip sources to avoid enriching its archrival, says Steven Pelayo, an analyst with HSBC (HBC) in Hong Kong.

My comment:
(a) The report says, "Many larger semiconductor designers that don’t compete with TSMC do compete with Intel for design contracts, and that limits the field for the Santa Clara (Calif.)-based chipmaker." I do not knwo what it means. What design contracts?
(b) The last paragraph of the report says, "Intel’s Rikhi admits there’s still a ways to go to win over most foundry customers."
(i) ways (n; Middle English wayes, from genitive of way; First Known Use 1580):
"way 6 <a long ways from home>"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ways

(ii) way (n):
"6: the length of a course : DISTANCE <has come a long way in her studies> <still have a way to go>"