If one is to believe Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist, Amazon is in "advanced negotiations" to acquire the mobile chip division of Texas Instruments in a billion dollar deal.
Such an acquisition could turn Amazon into direct rival to Amazon and Samsung-- both companies who design their own chips.
TI makes the OMAP product line and, amongst others, the processors inside the Kindle Fire tablets. It recently exited the mobile device processor market, shifting development away from smartphones towards the "broader market" (as in more stable, higher margin segments like the auto industry).
No comments from either Amazon or TI are available on the Calcalist story yet, while Gartner (in a comment to Reuters) doubts Amazon wants to "become that intimately involved with hardware."
Go Amazon Wants to Buy Operations to Compete with Apple Chips (Calcalist)
Go Amazon in Talks to Buy Texas Instruments Mobile Chip Arm: Paper (Reuters)
