Intel has presented Professor Stephen Hawking with a birthday gift, a 300mm wafer with the message "Happy Birthday Stephen Hawking" inscribed hundreds of times in copper letters defined using Intel's 32nm manufacturing procress.

RBC Capital Markets speculates that Intel could build ARM-based chips for future iPhones and, in return, Apple could use x86 processors in next-generation iPads.

Apple is exploring ways to replace Intel processors in its Mac PCs with a version of the chip technology it uses in the iPhone and iPad, according to people familiar with the company's research.

Earlier this year, Intel chief executive Paul Otellini announced the Leixlip factory was one of three selected to produce its next generation 14 nanometer microchips, known within the group as the "1272 process".

China will take the wraps off its latest 8-core Godson processor early next year to show its chip-making ability compared to Intel, Advanced Micro Devices and ARM.

Samsung will describe the first mobile applications processor to use ARM's big.little concept at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference in February.

The maker of wireless chips posts quarterly results much better than it anticipated, and the numbers stand in stark contrast to those of other companies, such as Intel.

Williams Financial analyst Cody Acree told MarketWatch that the gains apparently were due to "more talk of Apple moving away from Samsung as a foundry" which has also led to speculation that either Intel or TSMC may be tapped to manufacture chips for Apple.

Intel is talking to Cisco about becoming its foundry, says investment bank Piper Jaffray.