[Qem]

With all those Intel shenanigans, I wonder what are the barriers for China to disrupt the x86 market? It has more to do with patents, or just lithography? With their current equipment, if they were to release homemade x86 chips in the international market, would they be able to compete at least in the low-end?

[thanksgiving]

Remember the only reason Intel and AMD can sell these chips is because they have complex licenses that allow each other’s “IP”.

I am positive these companies will NOT (at least not both of them) give mainland China based companies a blank check to their IP.

They can do that after they return all our sweet, sweet free government money Intel got in the U.S. for so many decades.

[fluoridation]

It's not like China is known for caring about IP. All they'd have to do is not sell in the US.

[sterlind]

not just the US, they couldn't sell to the West. Sanctions for an IP violation would likely bind all the signatories to WIPO or whatever. sure they could sell internally, but the chips would have to be pretty good to risk pissing off Intel and AMD, since they're not likely to keep doing business with China after that.