Reuters reported that Intel plans to give RosaicLabs, a semiconductor company that just launched, access to some of its processor technology, and intends to send the company Atom's RTL code. Based on independent reporting drawing on sources and corporate filings from the state of Delaware, Intel declined to comment when contacted by Reuters, and the terms of the arrangement have not been disclosed. This case marks the moment when Intel's long-articulated 2021 concept of "offering x86 cores to external customers" began moving toward actual custom chip design.
What Does Handing Over Atom's RTL Mean?
According to Reuters, Intel has given Rosaic access to some of its processor technology. Sources described the target as Atom technology, and also said that Intel aims to send Rosaic the RTL code for Atom. Granting access to some technology and completing the delivery of RTL are not the same state of affairs. What has been reported so far is not the fact that RTL has already arrived in Rosaic's hands.
RTL (register-transfer level) is a design asset that expresses, using hardware description languages such as Verilog, how data moves between registers inside a CPU and what logical operations are performed. According to Synopsys's explanation, RTL exists at a stage before physical layout is determined, and after verification it is synthesized into a gate-level netlist. This is not the same as "open-sourcing" in the general software sense, nor does it indicate open-source release.
What distinguishes access to RTL from procuring a finished Atom product is that it leaves design freedom on the customer's side. A veteran semiconductor industry executive interviewed by Reuters explained that this would allow customers to work deeply with Intel's intellectual property and build their own designs. This raises the possibility that Rosaic could integrate the CPU core into its own SoC and design peripheral circuitry tailored to specific use cases. On the other hand, the scope of permitted modifications and the terms for using the x86 instruction set have not been disclosed.
The x86 Core External Licensing Concept Dating Back to 2021
Five years ago, Intel had already publicly stated its policy of offering x86 cores externally. Intel's Form 10-Q for the first quarter of 2021 explicitly states that Intel Foundry Services would offer customers advanced process and packaging along with an IP portfolio that includes x86 cores. The current Intel Foundry also lists everything from Arm and RISC-V to x86 and custom ASICs as manufacturing targets, claiming to support customers from IP through EDA, process, and implementation.
The offer to Rosaic is not an event where Intel suddenly opened up x86 externally out of nowhere. What is new is that the previously stated concept of offering x86 cores has now surfaced as a case involving a named company. Reuters characterizes this as an unusual move, noting that Intel has not historically broadly licensed portions of the x86 architecture or Atom technology.
Providing CPU core IP and taking on the manufacturing of chips containing that core could be separate contracts. Intel Foundry touts its ability to provide IP and EDA alongside manufacturing process through advanced packaging in one continuous offering. If Rosaic were to also adopt Intel's manufacturing process, Atom's RTL could also serve as an entry point for a Foundry order. Conversely, if the contract allows use with another company's manufacturing process, it opens a path for Intel to earn revenue from CPU design itself, decoupled from manufacturing capacity. The current reporting does not allow us to determine which form this takes.
Atom has also not ended merely as a past netbook-oriented brand. Intel's current product pages list six products in the Atom P-Series, launched in the first quarter of 2026. These feature configurations of 8 to 24 cores, base frequencies of 2.2 to 2.6GHz, and TDPs of 50 to 86W—a product lineup addressing not only the processing performance and power requirements demanded by 5G but also operating environment and latency requirements. However, there is no information indicating that this P-Series is the target of the offer to Rosaic, and it remains unclear which design—including past generations—will be handed over.
The Rivos Network That Shaped Rosaic
RosaicLabs only just filed its initial incorporation documents in Delaware in May 2026. According to an amended filing from July that Reuters confirmed, the CEO is Amarjit Gill, a semiconductor industry entrepreneur and investor, and Amit Parikh, former CFO of Rivos, signed the incorporation documents. Rosaic's founding team is also said to include former Rivos personnel. Reuters was unable to find an official website or LinkedIn page for the company, and neither Gill nor Parikh responded to inquiries from Reuters.
Gill and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan have a prior history of jointly launching and investing in semiconductor companies. Walden Catalyst, where Tan serves as founding managing partner, states that the two men formed the founding team of RISC-V processor company Rivos. Rivos was founded in September 2021 and was acquired by Meta in 2025. The two also invested in Nuviaz from its earliest stages, and while Rosaic may be a newcomer, it sits within a network that has produced multiple CPU companies.
The amended filing dated July 24 also added a capital structure including preferred and common stock. According to Reuters's analysis, Rosaic could be positioned for a $10 million seed round. Additionally, capital expenditures under $5 million can be executed without approval from investors or the board. However, this does not mean the company has already raised $10 million or spent $5 million. The former indicates an assumption about fundraising, and the latter indicates spending authority granted to management—neither proves progress in product development.
Gaps Remaining Before Productization
Access to RTL substantially advances the starting point of CPU design, but what remains beyond that includes logical verification, physical design, optimization for the manufacturing process, and finally tape-out and prototype evaluation. Whether there is a contract for manufacturing at Intel Foundry, or whether another foundry can be used, has not been disclosed. What use cases Rosaic is targeting and who its first customers might be remain unknown, and no shipping timeline has been indicated.
The economic terms of the deal also remain a blank space. Licensing fees and royalties are unknown, and exclusivity and the scope of support have not been indicated. Whether Intel can turn Atom IP into a new revenue stream cannot yet be determined. Whether the case with Rosaic is a one-off, or an early example of a standard model for broadly offering x86 cores to Foundry customers, will change what this means for Intel's business.
What will next demonstrate the substance of this business is the completion of Intel's RTL delivery and the establishment of Rosaic's funding round. After that, once the manufacturing process to be adopted and the first tape-out become clear, it will be possible to concretely evaluate whether Intel can expand its business from a company that sells finished CPUs into an IP supplier that underpins other companies' custom x86 designs.