OpenNashPodcasts

Topic

Intel

40 facts from 20 episodes, in date order. These are what speakers said on the shows, each linked to the moment it was said. They aren't independently verified.

1968

Arthur Rock organized a $2.5 million funding round from a syndicate he led to launch Intel.

“He organizes a two and a half million dollar funding round of venture capital from a syndicate that he leads.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 0:19:36

1968

Intel was first incorporated under the name NM Electronics, using the founders' initials, before being renamed.

“So they actually incorporated the company as NM Electronics.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 0:21:11

1968

The founders bought the Intel name by purchasing a trademark from a hotel chain for a reported $15,000.

“Apparently for fifteen thousand dollars, which was a lot of money in those days.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 0:22:09

1968

Grinnell College's endowment, which Buffett's investment committee oversaw, put $100,000 into Intel's early funding, while Buffett did not invest for his partnership or himself.

“grinnell does invest a hundred thousand dollars in the intel seed round effectively but warren never goes near it for the partnership for himself”

Acquired · Berkshire Hathaway Part I, 2:13:42

1971

Intel went public about three years after its founding with a market capitalization of $58 million.

“Intel goes public with a market cap of fifty eight million dollars.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 0:22:39

1975

MITS founder Ed Roberts negotiated a volume price of about $75 per Intel 8080 chip, versus a $360 list price.

“He managed to negotiate a volume deal with Intel to get 8080 chips at 75 bucks a pop.”

Acquired · Microsoft Volume I, 0:48:30

1980s

A Japanese memory maker's sales memo told staff to undercut Intel and AMD by 10% and repeat until they won the contract.

“Quote 10% below their price. If they re-quote, go 10% again. Don't quit until you win.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 0:42:19

1980

IBM chose Intel, not Texas Instruments, to supply the processor for its first PC, which the host believes was the 8088.

“Instead, of course, it was Intel. I think it was the 8088 that was chosen for that first one.”

Acquired · TSMC, 0:41:49

1981

Intel won the contract to supply the CPU for the IBM PC in 1981.

“it was 1981 when Intel landed the contract to be the CPU provider for the IBM PC.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 1:00:32

1984

Intel's share of the global memory market fell from above 80% at the start of the 1980s to about 1.3% by 1984.

“Intel's market share of memories goes from above 80% at the beginning of the decade to by 1984.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 0:27:02

1985

Andy Grove proposed that he and Gordon Moore symbolically fire and rehire themselves so they could carry out the exit from memory.

“what if you and I fire ourselves, walk out of the door to this office, rehire ourselves, turn around, come back in and do just that.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 0:46:27

1985

The Intel 386 was to be the first 32-bit x86 processor, after earlier x86 chips were 16-bit.

“The three 86 processor was going to be the first 32 bit processor.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 0:53:25

1987-1998

Intel's revenue grew from $1.9 billion in 1987, when Grove became CEO, to over $26 billion when he stepped down in 1998.

“The company revenues rise from 1.9 billion in 87 when he becomes CEO after they'd already selling, started selling the 386 to over 26 billion when he retires in 1998.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 0:59:22

1991

AMD needed until 1991 to bring a competitive 386-class chip to market after Intel ended second sourcing.

“It takes until 1991 before AMD can get a competitive product out there.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 0:56:18

1991

Intel's Intel Inside program offered to cover half of PC makers' marketing costs if they featured Intel Inside in their marketing.

“We will pay 50% of your marketing costs if you include in your marketing collateral that you have Intel inside.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 0:58:07

1999

Intel released its own standalone graphics cards around 1999 to compete directly with Nvidia, and the hosts say they were poorly reviewed.

“They come out with their own external cards right around this time, like 1999 to directly compete.”

Acquired · Nvidia Part I: The GPU Company (1993-2006), 1:15:39

early 2000s

Hamilton Helmer says Intel helped fund ASML's EUV lithography development through an industry consortium in the early 2000s, then divested after deciding the technology would fail.

“In the early 2000s, even Intel, I think, funded ASML's development, a big industry consortium, including Intel, of the EUV. And then thought the technology was going to die.”

Acquired · Platforms and Power (with Hamilton Helmer and Chenyi Shi), 0:50:49

2006

Intel announced Larrabee in 2006, a project to become a full-fledged GPU maker.

“And in 2006, Intel launches or announces this project, Larrabee, where they're going to be like a full-fledged GPU maker.”

Acquired · Nvidia Part I: The GPU Company (1993-2006), 1:31:53

2011

Morris Chang says Apple's Jeff Williams told him in February 2011 that talks must pause for two months because Intel's top executive had approached Tim Cook.

“we need to pause our discussions for two months because the highest level of Intel has approached Tim Cook and has asked Tim Cook to consider”

Acquired · TSMC Founder Morris Chang, 1:35:33

2011

Morris Chang says Apple CEO Tim Cook told him Intel does not know how to be a foundry.

“he told me, there's nothing to worry about because Intel just does not know how to be a foundry.”

Acquired · TSMC Founder Morris Chang, 1:43:00

2012

Intel committed more than $4 billion to EUV lithography in 2012 but was slower than rivals to adopt the technology.

“So Intel was the biggest early investor in EUV, committing more than $4 billion to it in 2012.”

Acquired · TSMC, 2:12:15

2012

Intel, TSMC and Samsung together bought about 25 percent of ASML around 2012 to fund the development of EUV lithography systems.

“intel and tsmc and samsung partnered and actually bought 25 of asml to inject capital into asml to develop euv systems”

Acquired · Complexity Investing & Semiconductors (with NZS Capital), 1:27:57

2015

Intel announced Optane Memory in July 2015, a new memory product meant to make hard drives as fast as SSDs.

“So they announced that they were going to be shipping a new product called Optane Memory.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 1:04:56

2019

Intel's revenue rose from about $26 billion when Grove left to about $72 billion in 2019, according to the host.

“So it increased then from 26 billion when Andy left to 72 billion in 2019.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 1:03:40

2021

After Bob Swan, Intel's new CEO Pat Gelsinger wanted Intel to become a foundry that builds chips for other companies.

“their new CEO, Pat Gelsinger, wants to turn Intel into a foundry themselves by which other fabulous companies can contract with Intel to build.”

Acquired · TSMC, 2:10:25

2025

Adi Ignatius says a recent headline reported that President Donald Trump was going after Intel because its CEO allegedly had ties to Chinese communists, which Intel called ridiculous.

“the latest headline is that President Trump is going after Intel because its CEO, you know, has had ties, quote unquote, with Chinese communists.”

Adi Ignatius · Are You Considering Chinese AI In Your Strategy?, 0:21:48

Undated

Second sourcing, in which a winning manufacturer shares its designs with competitors, originated in military contracts to guarantee supply.

“It's a byproduct of military contracts where the military, they needed to ensure that they would be able to get enough of what they wanted to buy.”

Acquired · Adapting Episode 3: Intel, 0:40:29

Undated

Hamilton Helmer says Intel began as a memory company led by Gordon Moore, Bob Noyce and Andy Grove, yet the memory business lacked sources of power.

“They had two businesses. They started as a memory company. They started with the best of the best.”

Acquired · 7 Powers with Hamilton Helmer, 0:44:18

Undated

Hamilton Helmer says most of Intel's board and its head of sales opposed the central processor idea.

“most of the board was against it. Their head of sales was adamant that this would never turn into anything that was.”

Acquired · 7 Powers with Hamilton Helmer, 0:45:20

Undated

Hamilton Helmer says Bob Noyce consulted people and then decided Intel should commit to the central processor, which the chairman of the board also backed.

“And Bob Noyce went out and kind of talked to people. And this is the nature of invention. High uncertainty bars, very large bandwidth, deep insights. And he finally said, no, I really think this eventually is going to go somewhere.”

Acquired · 7 Powers with Hamilton Helmer, 0:45:47

Undated

Matt Garman said AWS partners with Samsung, Intel and other companies that have their own chip fabrication plants.

“we partner with Samsung, we partner with Intel, we partner with others that have their own fabs as well”

Matt Garman · Why CEO Matt Garman is willing to bet AWS on AI, 0:58:01

Undated

Robert Noyce co-invented the microchip and co-founded Intel and Fairchild Semiconductor, and he mentored a young Steve Jobs.

“Noyce co-invented the microchip and co-founded Intel and Fairchild Semiconductor, the first successful silicon microchip company in Silicon Valley.”

David Senra · #398 Steve Jobs In His Own Words (Make Something Wonderful), 1:32:07

Undated

Daniel Whitenack said Nvidia and Intel rose that day as buyers rushed to purchase hardware.

“What did gain was, uh, uh, the, you know, Nvidia, Intel chip chip providers rising as people again, you know, panic, buy some of these, uh, these hardware solutions.”

Daniel Whitenack · Surviving the New Economics of a Post-Agentic World, 0:26:32

Episodes