According to a latest WSJ report, Intel is exploring options to acquire Broadcom if the company is successful in taking over Qualcomm. Broadcom is so hell-bent on acquiring Qualcomm since its first bid back in November 2017.
Though the initial offer was rejected by Qualcomm, Broadcom didn’t give up, it then proposed a deal to replace Qualcomm’s board which was again rejected by Qualcomm. Again in last month, Broadcom proposed to acquire Qualcomm at a higher price. At this point, combined Qualcomm and Broadcom would pose a serious threat to Intel. So it is waiting for the Broadcom and Qualcomm acquisition to fail, but if it succeeds, Intel plans to acquire Broadcom who also owns Qualcomm.
Though Intal made it big as a chipset maker in the laptop and PCs space, data-center servers and more, it never made an impression in the smartphone SoC segment which it eventually gave up in 2016. However, Intel as an alternative is also planning on other smaller acquisitions in order to stay competitive. If at all Intel acquires Broadcom, it would give Intel a suite of smartphone chips, adding to its own communications chips.
According to report, Intel is said to be considering such a move since late last year and is working with advisers. However, there is no guarantee that Intel would make such a move either considering the complexity and size of such a combination.