"It was a painful decision." The launch of Sapphire Rapids wound up being pushed from mid-2022 to Tuesday, nearly two years later than once expected. The lengthy development of the product – which combines four chips in one package – underscores some of the challenges facing a turnaround effort at Intel when the United States is trying to assert its dominance in the foundational computer technology. Since the 1970s, Intel has been a leading player in the small slices of silicon that run most electronic devices, best known for a variety called microprocessors, which act as electronic brains in most computers. But the Silicon Valley company in recent years lost its longtime lead in manufacturing technology, which helps determine how fast chips can compute. Patrick Gelsinger, who became Intel's CEO in 2021, has vowed to restore its manufacturing edge and build new U.S. factories.