Description of business, including segment and geographic area information - Segment Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenue	$ 3,329	$ 3,594
Total operating profit	1,244	1,379
Analog
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenue	2,460	2,518
Total operating profit	1,025	1,088
Embedded Processing
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenue	653	796
Total operating profit	182	249
Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenue	216	280
Total operating profit	$ 37	$ 42