Intel shakes AMD's chip-fabbing baby

Intel will sue, but they shouldn't

Intel will sue the pants off AMD and The Foundr for this move. Even if the case is entirely invalid because it will further weaken and possibly destroy AMD in the process. After all, they can bleed AMD dry from the seams by telling AMD customers "Do you really want to keep buying tom AMD, they're so burried in accounting problems and litigation that they just don't have the time or resources for technology anymore?"

The reason they shouldn't is that AMD is the only company that even pretends to give them a run for their money. Crushing AMD now would certainly leave Intel with a monopoly and companies like Via, ST and others will be very quick to sue Intel using AMD as an example. AMD also is the only other alternative source of x86 IP out there. Intel invents lots of cool things, but they also profit from the technologies they "Borrow" from AMD. It's actually possible Intel saves millions and even billions on R&D because of AMD doing the research first.

Intel would be the only soruce of x86 chips and that would mean that x86 would start losing its foothold as companies look for solutions that provide different chip features than Intel. Now they can go to AMD and get things Intel isn't interested in delivering, but it's x86 so it actually helps Intel.