Broadcom, TSMC weigh possible deals that would break up Intel, WSJ reports

Broadcom (AVGO) has been closely examining Intel’s (INTC) chip-design and marketing business and has informally discussed with its advisers making a bid, but would likely only do so if it finds a partner for Intel’s manufacturing business, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal’s Asa Fitch, Lauren Thomas and Yang Jie. Meanwhile, TSMC (TSM) has separately studied controlling some or all of Intel’s chip plants, potentially as part of an investor consortium or other structure, though the two possible bidders aren’t working together and all of the talks so far are “preliminary and largely informal,” the report says. The end result of any potential deals could be a breakup of Intel in two, the Journal noted.