Description of business, including segment and geographic area information - Segment Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenue	$ 3,239	$ 3,668	$ 6,568	$ 7,262
Total operating profit	1,228	1,506	2,472	2,885
Analog
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenue	2,434	2,534	4,894	5,052
Total operating profit	1,053	1,108	2,078	2,196
Embedded Processing
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenue	546	790	1,199	1,586
Total operating profit	125	265	307	514
Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenue	259	344	475	624
Total operating profit	$ 50	$ 133	$ 87	$ 175