Summary: After rumors that Intel and TSMC were going to enter a joint venture, a new report just announced that it’s not going to happen. TSMC has apparently made that clear.

Intel is in hot water, as the tech world is moving on. Once at the top of the chipmaking pack, the company has seen some hardships in recent years. Apple, Qualcomm, and other companies are going all in on ARM-based chips for computers. As such, people have less of a need for Intel’s silicon.

The company has been eyeing some methods to regain its dominance in the industry, but things have been looking pretty bleak. One idea floating around was to have Intel strike some sort of joint venture with TSMC, the semiconductor powerhouse in Taiwan.

A rumor from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that, since the Trump administration took back office, it’s been “brainstorming” this venture. However, even that rumor pointed out that a joint venture would have been tricky to pull off.

TSMC will not enter a joint venture with Intel

We’re not sure if bringing a joint venture would have helped Intel’s fortunes. There are geopolitical implications to think about, among other factors. Things are pretty tense between the U.S., China, and TSMC.

Well, we don’t have to worry about that, as Kuo just spilled the tea on what’s going on. TSMC does not want to enter a joint venture with Intel. “TSMC made it clear in today’s earnings call that it has no plans for any joint ventures or technology transfers.”

This means that Intel will need to find some way of turning its fortunes around. Right now, Intel is losing ground to the competition fast, and things aren’t looking much better. Also, we can’t forget about the state of the global economy that’s putting a strain on the tech industry. The company will continue to struggle unless it can think of something quickly.