Intel's

The computing industry continuously evolves with new and enhanced technologies and products from existing and new providers. The markets for current and planned technologies can change quickly in response to the introduction of such technologies and products and other factors such as changes in consumer tastes.
Intel faces significant competition in the development and market acceptance of technologies and products in this environment. Our platforms, based on Intel architecture, are positioned to compete across the spectrum of Internet-connected computing devices, from the lowest-power portable devices to the most powerful data center servers.

We are a leading provider in the PC and server segments, where we face existing and emerging competition. In the PC segment, smaller mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones, offered by numerous vendors have become significant competitors to PCs for many usages. Most of these small devices currently use applications processors based on the ARM* architecture; feature low-power, long battery-life operation; and are built in SoC formats which integrate numerous functions on one chip. In the server segment, our data center products and platforms face emerging competition from many new entrants using ARM architecture or other technologies.

We are a relatively new entrant to the segments for tablets, smartphones and similar mobile devices. We have adjusted our product roadmaps to emphasize the development of low-power SoC chips for these and other devices. The boundaries between the various segments are changing as the industry evolves and new segments emerge.
We have a long-standing position as a supplier of components and software for embedded products and this marketplace is significantly expanding with increasing types and numbers of Internet-connected devices for industrial, commercial and consumer uses, which we refer to as the Internet of Things. We face numerous large and small incumbent competitors as well as new entrants in this growing market segment that use ARM architecture as well as other operating systems and software.

Our products primarily compete based on performance, energy efficiency, integration, innovative design, features, price, quality, reliability, brand recognition and availability. The importance of these items will vary by the type of end system for the products. For example, performance might be among the most important factors for our products for servers, while price and integration might be among the most important factors for our products for tablets and smartphones.

We are the owner of McAfee, a major provider of digital security products and services to businesses and consumers. There are numerous competitors offering security products and services, and we seek to offer competitive differentiation by integrating hardware and software security features in many of our offerings and to have security offerings in numerous market segments including mobile and embedded devices and for data centers.

The ability of our products to operate on multiple operating systems in end-user products and platforms operated or sold by third parties, including OEMs, is a key competitive advantage. We seek to optimize our products for multiple operating systems and invest substantial resources working with third parties to do so, but such investments are risky given that it is not clear which products will succeed in the market.

We have competitors in each of the market segments including other companies that make and sell microprocessors, SoCs, other silicon components, software and platforms to businesses which build and sell computing and communications devices to end-users. We also compete against others selling these goods and services to businesses that utilize the products for their internal processes (e.g., businesses running large data centers). We also face competition from OEMs that, to some degree, choose to vertically integrate their own proprietary semiconductor and software assets. By doing so, these OEMs may be attempting to offer greater differentiation in their products and to increase their share of the profits for each finished product they sell.
Continuing changes in the industry such as acquisitions, business collaborations or licensing scenarios (such as injunctions or other litigation outcomes), could have a significant impact on our competitive position.
One of our important competitive advantages is the combination of our network of manufacturing, assembly and test facilities with our global architecture design teams. We have made significant capital and research and development (R&D) investments into this integrated manufacturing network, which enables us to have more direct control over our processes, quality control, product cost, production timing, performance, power consumption, and manufacturing yield. The increased cost of constructing new fabrication facilities supporting smaller transistor geometries and larger wafers has led to a smaller pool of companies that can afford to build and equip leading-edge manufacturing facilities. Most of our competitors rely on third-party foundries and subcontractors such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. and GlobalFoundries Inc. for manufacturing and assembly and test needs. We have recently started providing foundry services as an alternative to such foundries.