Intel achieves major milestones with 18A chip production, solidifying foundry ambitions

Intel has announced significant progress in its ambitious push to regain leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, revealing that its lead products on the advanced Intel 18A process node, Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest, have successfully powered on and booted operating systems. These achievements, achieved less than two quarters after tape-out (final design completion), put both products on track for production in 2025.

Furthermore, Intel revealed that its first external foundry customer is expected to tape out on the 18A node in the first half of 2025, a crucial milestone for the company's growing foundry business.

"We are pioneering multiple systems foundry technologies for the AI era and delivering a full stack of innovation that’s essential to the next generation of products for Intel and our foundry customers," stated Kevin O’Buckley, Intel senior vice president and general manager of Foundry Services. "We are encouraged by our progress and are working closely with customers to bring Intel 18A to market in 2025.”

18A: A Leap Forward in Transistor Technology

Intel 18A, the company's most advanced process node, incorporates innovations like RibbonFET gate-all-around transistors and PowerVia backside power delivery.

These technologies offer significant advantages:

RibbonFET: Enables tighter control over current flow in transistors, leading to smaller chip components and reduced power leakage.

PowerVia: Optimises power delivery by separating it from the front side of the wafer, reducing resistance and improving efficiency.

"These milestones show Intel Foundry is the first to successfully implement both RibbonFET gate-all-around transistors and PowerVia backside power technology for foundry customers," Intel highlighted.

Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest: Showcasing 18A's Potential

Panther Lake, designed for AI-powered PCs, and Clearwater Forest, a server processor, are both showcasing the capabilities of the 18A node. The successful booting of operating systems on these chips, without requiring modifications, is a strong indicator of the technology's maturity.

Clearwater Forest, in particular, represents a major leap forward in chip design. It will be the industry's first mass-produced, high-performance chip to combine RibbonFET, PowerVia, and Foveros Direct 3D packaging technology for enhanced density and power handling.

"Next year's Clearwater Forest, the archetype of future CPU and AI chips, will mark the industry's first mass-produced, high-performance solution combining RibbonFET, PowerVia, and Foveros Direct 3D for higher density and power handling," Intel noted.

Industry Partners Embrace 18A

Electronic design automation (EDA) and intellectual property (IP) companies are already updating their tools and offerings to support Intel 18A, enabling external foundry customers to begin designing their own chips using this advanced process node.

“Cadence’s strategic collaboration with Intel Foundry helps accelerate our mutual customers’ innovation by providing access to industry-leading EDA solutions and IP optimised for Intel 18A,” said Tom Beckley, senior vice president and general manager of the Custom IC & PCB Group at Cadence. “It is very encouraging to see Intel 18A achieve this critical milestone, and we are pleased to support customers on their leading-edge designs on 18A.”

Shankar Krishnamoorthy, general manager of the EDA Group at Synopsys, echoed this sentiment: “It’s great to see Intel Foundry hitting these critical milestones. With 18A now customer-ready, Intel Foundry is bringing together the necessary components needed to design next-generation AI solutions that our mutual customers require and expect. Synopsys plays a mission-critical role as an on-ramp to the world’s foundries, and we are proud to work with Intel Foundry to enable Synopsys’ leading EDA and IP solutions for their leading-edge process.”