> "If Intel does indeed take this approach, it would amount to an embarrassing admission that the company cannot match the chip-fabrication capabilities of its Taiwanese rival"
That has been clear for years now.
Yep. It turns out that companies that make and sell more chips can afford to innovate chip production at a faster rate. Intel lost that edge when they allowed the mobile phone market to slip out of their grasp because of its lower margins. Now it's the primary market for high end chips.
It’s like reading: “Ford is outsourcing the fabrication of its new flagship EV line to Tesla”.