To be clear, Intel already lost manufacturing process lead years ago. Marketing sayz something else, but everyone who has aces to pdk and can compare it with design rules of other foudries know reality. Now, 14nm is pushed over it's limits because it is needed to sell processors pushed over their designed frequency or big dies designed for servers are selling at relatively low price... It remind me Pentium 4 times... Plus with mess called 10nm, with performance still far below 14nm but higher power consumption...
I mentioned Pentium 4 times but i am afraid of one difference. Back then we was strong and able to support division in hard times. But now it is different. If something does't go with plan, they will cut it. With falling priority in core business and aiming (and heavily investing) into new areas, where lot of silicon is manufactured outside Intel foudry...
I am afraid of what if they realize that being fabless is better for them? Will we be in next 12 000 as a price of next transition?