News
Intel has been making significant efforts to revive its foundry business, and signs of progress are beginning to emerge with the upcoming launch of its 18A process. According to Wccftech, Intel is expected to showcase the process at the 2025 VLSI Symposium, and the company has recently disclosed major performance improvement of the node. The report highlights that 18A is Intel’s most advanced to date and reportedly matches the SRAM density achieved by TSMC’s N2 process.
As indicated by the report, Intel’s 18A process achieves over 30% density improvement compared to Intel 3, driven by the adoption of technologies such as PowerVia and BSPDN. In addition, a PPA (Power, Performance, Area) comparison shows that 18A delivers 25% higher speed and a 36% reduction in power consumption at 1.1V on a standard Arm core sub-block.
Furthermore, Intel’s 18A process offers enhanced area utilization compared to Intel 3, enabling better area efficiency and greater potential for higher-density designs, according to the report.
The report also notes that Intel reveals a “voltage droop” map, illustrating the node’s stability under high-performance conditions, with its PowerVia technology enabling more stable power delivery. Meanwhile, backside power delivery also allows for tighter cell packing and improved area efficiency by freeing up more space in the frontside routing.
Intel’s 18A process is expected to first appear in the Panther Lake SoC and the Xeon Clearwater Forest CPU, as stated by the report. In terms of external product integration, if Intel can meet its yield and volume production targets, end products could emerge as early as 2026.
NVIDIA and Broadcom Reportedly Test Intel’s 18A
As noted by a Reuters report from March, sources reveal that NVIDIA and Broadcom are conducting manufacturing tests with Intel’s 18A process, signaling initial confidence in the node. The report further states that AMD is reportedly also assessing Intel’s 18A manufacturing process. In addition, NVIDIA is reportedly closer than Broadcom to adopting Intel’s foundry technology, possibly for gaming applications, as GuruFocus notes.
Meanwhile, apart from 18A, Intel is reportedly also preparing its performance-enhanced 18A-P process, as highlighted by Tom’s Hardware. The 18A-P node is designed to enhance performance and lower power consumption. The report indicates that this enhanced process could be particularly attractive to external customers seeking to maximize performance.
Read more
(Photo credit: Intel)
