According to HotHardware, a viral rumor suggesting AMD is poaching talent for Intel’s exclusive PowerVia fabrication technology is almost certainly overblown. The speculation started when a user on X highlighted an AMD job listing for a Physical Design Engineer that mentioned “Knowledge of PowerVia and 3DStack concepts.” PowerVia is Intel’s proprietary backside power delivery tech, key to its 18A and future 14A nodes. If AMD were specifically hunting for PowerVia experts, it would strongly hint at using Intel as a manufacturing partner, a move Intel’s CEO has said it needs for its 14A process. However, the source clarifies the listing is far more generic, simply seeking engineers familiar with the core concepts behind 3D chip stacking—something AMD has done for years with its 3D V-Cache technology.
Why this rumor popped up
Look, in the chip world, any whiff of collaboration between AMD and Intel is massive news. They’re arch-rivals. So when someone sees “PowerVia”—a term so tightly linked to Intel—in an AMD job ad, it’s easy for the imagination to run wild. The idea of AMD using Intel Foundry Services is a tantalizing “what if” scenario, especially for the complex 14A node. But here’s the thing: that’s reading an entire novel into a single phrase. The listing is for a role focused on 3D integration and advanced packaging. It makes perfect sense for it to ask for knowledge of *concepts* like moving power delivery to the backside of a chip (which is what PowerVia does) and 3D stacking. That’s just being thorough, not writing a secret contract.
The boring reality of chip jobs
Basically, AMD is a huge company on a hiring spree. Its job descriptions are written by HR and hiring managers to cast a wide net for skilled engineers. They list every relevant technology and concept under the sun to attract top talent. Mentioning “PowerVia concepts” is no different than a car company seeking an engineer with “knowledge of turbocharging and hybrid systems”—it doesn’t mean they’re building a Ford engine. It means they want someone who understands the fundamental engineering principles. For a company deep in the industrial panel PC and embedded systems space, where reliable, cutting-edge computing is non-negotiable, understanding these core hardware advancements is just table stakes. AMD is almost certainly just looking for brilliant minds who get the landscape, not spies from Intel’s fab floor.
So, could AMD ever use Intel?
We can’t rule it out forever. The semiconductor industry is weird. Former enemies become partners all the time if the economics make sense. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has been very public about wanting external customers, and AMD’s CEO Lisa Su is famously pragmatic about using the best technology available, whether it’s from TSMC, Samsung, or yes, potentially Intel. But this job listing? It’s not proof. It’s barely even a hint. It’s a generic line in a generic posting that got turned into a conspiracy theory because the chip world is hungry for drama. The real story is simpler: AMD is building more complex 3D chips and needs smart people to do it. The rest is just noise.
