Odaily News Broadcom Inc (AVGO.O) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSM.N) are each eyeing a potential deal that could split Intel Corp (INTC.O) in two, according to people familiar with the matter.

Broadcom, which has been eyeing Intel’s chip design and marketing business, has informally discussed a bid with advisers but may make a bid only if it finds a partner for Intel’s manufacturing operations. Broadcom has not yet filed any documents with Intel.

TSMC has explored taking control of some or all of Intel’s chip factories, possibly as part of a consortium of investors or other structures. Broadcom and TSMC are not working together. Breaking up Intel would bring it into line with the industry’s shift in recent decades toward either specializing in chip manufacturing or specializing in chip design, not both.

Intel's interim executive chairman Frank Yeary has been leading discussions with possible acquirers and Trump administration officials who are concerned about the fate of the company, which is seen as critical to national security, according to people familiar with the matter. Negotiations on the Intel factory are in the early stages, and the Trump administration has asked TSMC to explore the idea, according to people familiar with the matter. (WSJ)