[News] Intel’s Comeback? NVIDIA and Broadcom Reportedly Eye 18A, with a Boosted Version in the Works

With Lip-Bu Tan as Intel’s new CEO, aiming to restore its chipmaking edge and build a top-tier foundry, Team Blue’s 18A is gaining traction. Tom’s Hardware, citing guru, notes that NVIDIA and Broadcom, the world’s two top AI chip firms, are eyeing Intel’s 18A process.

The reports indicate that both companies are in talks to use Intel’s 18A node, with NVIDIA possibly closer to committing than Broadcom. Notably, NVIDIA plans to leverage Intel’s 18A on its gaming GPUs, the reports suggest.

If NVIDIA does place an order, it could mark a big win for Intel. As per Tom’s Hardware, NVIDIA’s archrival, AMD, has also shown interest in 18A, but its plans are still up in the air.

A Performance-enhanced Version for 18A

It is also worth noting that Intel may be developing a variation for 18A to attract more external clients. According to Tom’s Hardware and guru, beyond its standard 18A process, Intel is gearing up for 18A-P, a performance-enhanced version that offers either more speed at the same power or lower power at the same performance.

AI Dream Reborn?

Moreover, following the disappointment of Gaudi 3 and the scrapped “Falcon Shores” AI chip, Intel may set its eyes again on AI as it reportedly aims to take on NVIDIA in AI hardware. According to MoneyDJ, citing Barron’s, Lip-Bu Tan has stressed the need to develop competitive rack-scale solutions to strengthen the company’s cloud AI data center position.

Barron’s highlights that Lip-Bu Tan is targeting NVIDIA’s top-tier GB200 NVL72 Blackwell AI system, dubbed the “apex predator” of AI by a former Intel exec. Packed with 72 GPUs—up from the previous 8—it offers unmatched compute density in a single rack, according to Barron’s.

In spite of the ambition, Intel is still struggling in the AI sector. Reuters suggests Intel is putting its Falcon Shores GPU design on hold, leaving the company without major new products for AI customers.

In addition, a previous report from Tom’s Hardware noted that Team Blue fell short of its $500 million Gaudi 3 sales target in 2024 due to software challenges. According to the report, AMD aimed for $3 billion in revenue from its AI GPUs, while NVIDIA might earn $80 to $90 billion from AI GPUs in the data center.

Read more

• [News] Intel’s Initial 18A Wafers Reportedly Roll Out in Arizona; Early Mass Production Likely to Follow
• [News] Intel Leadership Shift: Tan Charts Next Chapter, While Former CEO Gelsinger Embraces AI for Faith at Gloo

(Photo credit: Intel)