The CPU at the heart of Apple's iPhone is only tangentially an Intel processor, according to an Intel executive speaking with the Italian business publication Il Sole 24 Ore. Clarifying earlier reports that Intel was directly involved with the iPhone's hardware, Intel Italy executive manager Dario Bucci said that the iPhone is driven by an Xscale processor, which found its inception at Intel but whose design was sold to the Marvell Technology Group in June of last year. Only the basic architecture relates to Intel, Bucci said.

Intel is nevertheless directly involved in the iPhone's developent, according to the interview. Seemingly ending earlier speculation, the Intel executive claims that his company provides the NAND flash memory used for storage in the Apple cellphone. Apple is in fact one of Intel's main customers for flash, he went on to say. The revelation could have serious ramifications for Samsung and other chipset manufacturers, as Samsung and other chipset makers hoped to benefit from the iPhone by supplying essential components.