Not all that long ago, the prospect of chip giant Intel breaking up would have been unthinkable. But Intel’s foundry business has lost billions in recent years and Pat Gelsinger, the CEO who championed Intel’s beleaguered foundry,

Intel’s board has been in talks with potential buyers and the U.S. government, The Wall Street Journal said. Former CEO Gelsinger stepped down in December.

Intel stock rose Tuesday as speculation mounts about deals to acquire different parts of the chip company. However, there are major hurdles for a reported potential split of the company’s operations between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and Broadcom.