In context: Intel’s current challenges are undoubtedly acquainted to anybody who has paid even the slightest consideration to the semiconductor market. These points have been a key cause the corporate just lately appointed semiconductor trade veteran Lip-Bu Tan as its new CEO. Some even speculated that Intel would possibly spin off its chip-making foundry enterprise.
On the firm’s current Direct Join convention, nevertheless, the brand new CEO made it clear that not solely does Intel haven’t any intention of doing so, however it’s really doubling all the way down to reclaim its world-class foundry heritage.
The corporate used the occasion to replace the market on its forthcoming 18A course of – which Intel’s merchandise group will use for its Panther Lake line of cell CPUs set to launch later this 12 months – and highlighted quite a few technological developments in each its core course of applied sciences and superior packaging capabilities.
Whereas Intel did not announce any new foundry purchasers at Direct Join, as some had hoped, it made it clear that there’s a renewed deal with customer support and on delivering what potential purchasers need.
To that finish, Intel launched a number of new variations of its beforehand introduced 18A and 14A course of nodes. Each 18A-P and 18A-PT use the identical GAA (Gate All Round) transistors and PowerVia bottom energy supply know-how as 18A, together with further enhancements.
Probably the most important change is a broader vary of supported voltage ranges, which Intel Foundry’s new Chief International Operations Officer, Dr. Naga Chandrasekaran, defined will allow functions past high-performance computing. As well as, 18A-P affords improved assist for skew nook variations, referring to the vary of acceptable efficiency ranges in numerous areas of a chip.
Collectively, these and different updates present as much as an 8% enchancment in efficiency per watt, whereas sustaining design rule compatibility with chips initially meant for 18A. In sensible phrases, most third-party designs focusing on the 18A course of will possible undertake 18A-P, which is anticipated to be obtainable in 2026.
The 18A-PT course of, scheduled for 2028, incorporates TSVs (Via Silicon Vias), making it well-suited for functions like base dies in complicated chiplet designs.
For 14A, Intel shared further technical particulars and outlined a number of key enhancements. Notably, many of those adjustments replicate the corporate’s expanded assist for the broader semiconductor ecosystem. Actually, CEO Lip-Bu Tan spent a lot of the primary hour of the occasion participating with companions from the EDA (Digital Design Automation) trade, who develop chip design software program.
Traditionally, Intel relied totally on proprietary EDA instruments, however that started to vary with 18A and expanded considerably with 14A. Consequently, the CEOs of Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens spoke with Lip-Bu about optimizing their instruments for Intel’s newest foundry choices.
Whereas this may increasingly seem to be a minor shift, it marks a significant change that ought to make it simpler for third events to design chips for Intel’s manufacturing amenities. Extra importantly, it displays a broader cultural shift in how Intel approaches its manufacturing enterprise.
Intel additionally shared anticipated efficiency comparisons between 14A and 18A, and the numbers have been spectacular: a 15 – 20% enchancment in efficiency per watt, a 1.3x enhance in transistor density, and a 25 – 35% discount in energy consumption.
Intel additionally shared anticipated efficiency comparisons between 14A and 18A, and the numbers have been spectacular: a 15 – 20% enchancment in efficiency per watt, a 1.3x enhance in transistor density, and a 25 – 35% discount in energy consumption. The corporate emphasised that 14A – anticipated to enter manufacturing in 2027 – builds on learnings from 18A improvement, together with second-generation RibbonFET transistors and enhanced bottom energy supply.
Intel additionally introduced a 14A-E variant, designed for even decrease energy consumption, making it splendid for next-generation cell chip designs.
One among Intel Foundry’s most widely known benefits over different chipmakers lies in its superior packaging applied sciences. These improvements are geared toward enabling extra subtle chiplets that mix a number of dies – typically produced by totally different distributors and on totally different course of nodes.
As bodily limits constrain the dimensions of particular person chips, the trade is more and more turning to chiplet system designs to proceed Moore’s Regulation – fashion enhancements (1.5 – 2x each two years). Actually, probably the most superior AI processors at the moment are huge chiplets that combine a number of dies and depend on cutting-edge packaging to operate successfully.
A shock visitor at Intel Foundry #DirectConnect – Chip, an autonomous robotic canine specializing in sensing, paired with AI/ML insights that assist maintain our fabs environment friendly.
Intel Foundry’s fleet of robots makes use of thermal, acoustic and picture processing to cowl 16 totally different inspections. pic.twitter.com/MVRU87wUIr
– Intel Information (@intelnews) April 29, 2025
On this context, Intel unveiled new variations of each its EMIB chip-to-chip interconnect and its Foveros chip-stacking applied sciences at Direct Join. These updates embrace lower-cost, higher-speed, and various interconnect choices. Intel additionally emphasised that these packaging applied sciences can be utilized with chip dies constructed at different fabs, at Intel fabs, or any mixture of the 2.
Regardless of the dominance of TSMC in advanced-node semiconductor manufacturing, Intel nonetheless faces a difficult path. Nonetheless, primarily based on the bulletins made at Direct Join, the corporate is clearly listening extra carefully to the wants of its potential clients and companions. It’s also returning to its core technological strengths and dealing to assemble a extra full set of constructing blocks that would make its foundry choices extra interesting.
Given the rising consciousness of semiconductor provide chain significance, ongoing geopolitical tensions, and Intel’s distinctive place as the one remaining US-based producer of superior logic chips, it’s important that the corporate overcomes these challenges and pushes its foundry enterprise ahead.
The present uncertainty round tariffs actually is not serving to. However with sturdy management and strong execution, Intel seems to have nearly as good an opportunity as ever to reclaim a place of prominence in semiconductor manufacturing. The highway will not be straightforward, and far is at stake, however the firm does appear to be headed in the proper route.
Bob O’Donnell is the founder and chief analyst of TECHnalysis Analysis, LLC a know-how consulting agency that gives strategic consulting and market analysis companies to the know-how trade {and professional} monetary neighborhood. You may comply with him on X @bobodtech
