[sk0g]

See my other comment for a more expanded take, but let's go with Intel for example. If they had to do all work out in the open, and share all progress they make, all they could compete on would be timing and pricing.

Pricing isn't going to be something they are likely to win on, and the timing is either time to market, or time to release IP. For the former, why buy i9 for $1000 when you can be an Indian alternative for $500 in, let's say, 6 months? For the latter, if companies can release findings after some fuzzy period like "when the prototypes have been validated," that's still IP but with a timed secrecy.