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SoftBank’s reported move from Intel to TSMC for its Project Izanagi AI processor was not a confirmed foundry switch. A 15 August 2024 report, citing the Financial Times and unnamed sources, said Intel had not met SoftBank’s reported volume and speed requirements and that SoftBank was discussing TSMC as a possible manufacturing partner. Those talks were ongoing, with no agreement reported at the time.
What did the 2024 report say?
Tom’s Hardware reported on 15 August 2024 that SoftBank was considering TSMC for Project Izanagi after Intel fell short of requirements for production volume and speed. The account attributed those details to the Financial Times and unnamed sources; it did not present a public confirmation from SoftBank or Intel. Read the contemporaneous report.
The distinction matters: discussing another supplier is not the same as signing a manufacturing agreement or completing a switch. The 2024 account said TSMC discussions were still underway and that no agreement had been reached. It did not establish who ultimately manufactured Project Izanagi.
Intel versus TSMC: what is actually established?
| Question | What the 2024 account reported |
|---|---|
| Could Intel meet SoftBank’s needs? | Unnamed sources said Intel had not met the reported volume and speed requirements. |
| Was TSMC selected? | No. SoftBank was reportedly discussing TSMC as a possible partner, but no agreement had been reached. |
| Are yield, process node, price, or final capacity known? | Not stated in the cited report. |
These reported criteria are not enough to make a broader technical or commercial comparison between Intel and TSMC for this project. The cited coverage supplies no reliable Project Izanagi figures for chip volume, performance targets, budget, or production timing.
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![Arduino® UNO™ Q 4GB [ABX00173]- Hybrid Board, Qualcomm Dragonwing QRB2210 microprocessor (MPU) & STM32U585 Microcontroller(MCU), AI Vision, Voice, IoT, Robotics, Linux Debian OS, Wi-Fi 5, USB-C](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51cl4xygwGL._SL160_.jpg)
- Dual-Brain Hybrid Power: Combines the Qualcomm Dragonwing QRB2210 MPU (Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 @ 2.0 GHz CPU, Adreno GPU, AI acceleration) and the real-time, low-power STM32U585 MCU for advanced applications like object recognition, voice commands, and motion detection.
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Do SoftBank’s later Intel and AI announcements change the answer?
Intel collaboration on Z-Angle Memory
On 3 February 2026, SoftBank announced that SAIMEMORY, its wholly owned subsidiary, had signed a collaboration with Intel on 2 February to advance Z-Angle Memory (ZAM). SoftBank said it aimed to create prototypes in FY2027—the fiscal year ending 31 March 2028—and achieve commercialization in FY2029. These are plans for a separate memory project, not confirmation of Project Izanagi’s foundry or final status. SoftBank’s ZAM announcement.
Ampere CPU inference evaluation
On 17 February 2026, SoftBank Corp. announced joint validation with Ampere Computing using Ampere CPUs and SoftBank’s under-development Orchestrator for CPU-based AI inference. The described evaluations included multi-node setups, small language and mixture-of-experts models, CPU-only and mixed CPU/GPU nodes, and flexible workload allocation. SoftBank said its evaluation saw increased concurrent workloads, lower power consumption than typical GPU-based configurations, and shorter model-loading times, but the cited announcement gives no measurements. This work does not establish Project Izanagi’s manufacturing outcome. SoftBank Corp.’s Ampere announcement.
Rank #2
- Dual-Brain Hybrid Power: Combines the Qualcomm Dragonwing QRB2210 MPU (Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 @ 2.0 GHz CPU, Adreno GPU, AI acceleration) and the real-time, low-power STM32U585 MCU for advanced applications like object recognition, voice commands, and motion detection.
- AI & Linux Capabilities: Unlocks AI-powered vision and sound solutions; runs Linux Debian OS for coding in Python and supports the Arduino ecosystem with libraries and Sketches; quick start with Arduino App Lab.
- Advanced Features: Equipped with 2 GB LPDDR4 RAM, 16 GB eMMC built-in storage, ideal to develop in PC-connected mode, running the OS, Python scripts, and basic network services (SSH) without a demanding GUI or heavy multitasking; great for lightweight AI and memory-optimized TinyML applications, needing local storage for basic OS and core libraries. Dual-band Wi-Fi 5 (2.4/5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.1, and high-speed headers for vision, audio, and display peripherals.
- Seamless Expansion & Connectivity: Features the classic UNO form factor for shields compatibility, an 8x13 LED matrix, and a Qwiic connector for easy expansion with Modulino nodes; power and connect via the USB-C connector.
- Intended Use & Development: The perfect platform for prototyping robotics or IoT projects, empowering innovators with a unified development experience to mix Arduino Sketches, Python scripts, and containerized AI models in a single interface.
How should TSMC capacity comments be read?
In SoftBank Group’s FY25 Q4 investor Q&A, the company discussed demand for Arm AGI CPUs and said TSMC capacity was effectively fully utilized for the next two years. It also described exploring whether other providers with capacity at TSMC could free capacity for incremental customer demand. That is supply-chain context for Arm AGI CPU; the Q&A does not identify Arm AGI CPU as Project Izanagi. SoftBank Group’s earnings briefing materials.
A later Tom’s Hardware article also characterized the 2024 effort as a reported pivot to TSMC, but it remains secondary reporting and does not establish a signed agreement. Tom’s Hardware’s later coverage.
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- Single core ARM Cortex-A7 32-bit core, integrated with NEON and FPU
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- The design with built-in RISC-V MCU supports low-power fast startup, 250ms fast capture, and simultaneous loading of AI model library, enabling facial recognition to be completed within 1 second
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