GlobalFoundries Stops All 7nm Development
Can someone explain how this works?We've got the following chip companies: Intel, AMD, Samsung.And we've got a bunch of "fab" companies: Intel, TSMC, Global Foundries, Samsung.What's the difference between the two sets of companies? Why can't Intel just buy a "7nm" processor from TSMC?And what exactly is "7nm"? The distance between the closest transistors in a chip? Just guessing.[edit]From browsing Wikipedia, I gather that:  - A chip company designs a processor. The design is in the form of a circuit diagram(?)
  - A fab company turns that diagram into a physical product.

So for example, ARM designs a chip, which then gets built by Samsung. ARM is strictly responsible for design, and Samsung provides a factory.