Intel has given a brand-new startup access to the register-transfer level design of its Atom x86 processors, a level of disclosure the chipmaker has rarely allowed in its history.
The recipient is Rosaic Labs, incorporated in Delaware in May. According to a Reuters report, Intel intends to ship RTL code describing the Atom processor’s functions to the company, whose CEO Amarjit Gill is a venture investor and longtime co-investor with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. The pair previously backed chip startups Rivos and Nuvia together, and Rivos veterans are said to be part of the founding team.
RTL gives a design team far deeper insight than buying finished chips or licensing an instruction set. A veteran chip executive told Reuters the access would let Rosaic build its own custom processor designs around Intel’s low-power x86 cores. That has led analysts to speculate the startup could target custom AI chips for hyperscalers, or edge and networking silicon where Atom’s modest power draw shines.
Amended Delaware filings suggest Rosaic can raise a seed round of up to $10M. Its target market, process node and commercialization timeline have not been disclosed, and Intel declined to comment on the arrangement.
If confirmed, the deal marks the first x86 core license from Intel in roughly a decade and signals the company is more willing to monetize its processor IP separately from finished silicon. It also places one of Tan’s own investment network at the front of that experiment, a notable twist given Intel’s history of guarding x86 tightly.
