X-bit Labs reports that Asus has possibly broken their partnership with Intel, in the field of making motherboards for Intel. Since Intel doesn't have its own fabs to produce Intel-branded motherboards they need to outsource this to motherboard makers like Asus, Foxconn, Mitac and FIC. Some time ago Wistron signed a deal with Intel, to produce motherboards for them.
While Intel has tremendous plans in the mainboards market, the company does not have its own facilities to make this type of products. As a result, the Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker outsourced production to Asian-based mainboard makers. ASUS has been producing mainboards for Intel for quite some time now, but the partnership might come to its end after Intel signed a deal with Wistron.
“Wistron will be Intel’s fourth motherboard contract maker, trailing Foxconn Electronics, Mitac International and First International Computer (FIC)”, a report over DigiTimes and Economic Daily News said.
In case ASUS is no longer listed as an Intel mainboard partner, the companies might have suspended the partnership because of unknown reasons. Among possible causes for the likely break off a source close to both companies suspected that the firms did not succeed in negotiating about pricing of the products.
It is not clear how Intel plans to attain outsourcing of 17-18 million of mainboards this year without ASUSTeK Computer.
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