According to Reuters, Intel has shared access to its renowned "Atom" CPUs with a startup called RosaicLabs Inc. This means Intel will be transferring some of its in-house intellectual property to a third party, a rare occurrence in the semiconductor industry. Specifically, the register-transfer level (RTL) code that defines each CPU part, which is later turned into the actual silicon, will be licensed to Rosaic. Intel's Atom CPU line runs on the x86-64 instruction set. Historically, Intel has used these Atom CPUs for entry-level and low-power tasks, including networking equipment. However, the Atom CPU portfolio is now much smaller than it used to be as Intel transitions to other areas. Before developing E-Cores, Intel designed one last "Tremont" microarchitecture, which ended up in "Elkhart Lake" and "Jasper Lake" silicon for embedded, low-power laptops, and Chromebooks.

Intel has since transitioned to E-Cores, which are effectively successors to Atom cores, and these cores are also built on a separate microarchitecture like "Gracemont." While it's not exactly clear which Atom CPU core IP will be shared with Rosaic, the company could be receiving the "Tremont" CPU generation or something newer to start its x86 silicon manufacturing. Additionally, Rosaic is currently looking to raise about $10 million, which would support its unknown chip ambitions, potentially based on low-power x86 design. We have yet to see any teasers or detailed product announcements.