Description of business, including segment and geographic area information - Segment Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenue	$ 3,817	$ 3,771	$ 10,385	$ 11,033
Total operating profit	1,609	1,589	4,081	4,474
Analog
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenue	2,865	2,674	7,759	7,726
Total operating profit	1,320	1,231	3,398	3,427
Embedded Processing
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenue	651	724	1,850	2,310
Total operating profit	187	233	494	747
Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenue	301	373	776	997
Total operating profit	$ 102	$ 125	$ 189	$ 300