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Intel is about to release the second generation of Core Ultra processors, including the low-power Lunar Lake(September 4 at 0 o 'clock), the high-performance Arrow Lake(October K series other next year's CES), and now the following third generation Core Ultra Lunar Lake has been announced.

Prior to the event, Intel announced the good news in advance that the first products based on the Intel 18A process node (1.8nm class), including AI PC client processor Panther Lake and server processor Clearwater Forest, have successfully lit up and run the operating system.

Mass production is expected to begin in 2025

Intel's Intel 18A is the company's second RibbonFET all-surround gate transistor architecture using GAA technology, after Intel 20A, and a backside powered manufacturing technology called PowerVia. The Intel 18A promises to optimize the RibbonFET design and enhance several other features compared to the 2-nanometer process technology, further improving performance per watt by 10 percent.

At this time, it is less than six months since the first tape-out of Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest products. Both products are expected to begin mass production in the second half of 2025, slightly behind TSMC's N2 process technology.

Intel also revealed that the first external customer using the Intel 18A process is expected to complete the flow sheet in the first half of 2025, after which it is expected to enter mass production in the first half of 2026. This shows that Intel's advanced process technology has begun to attract the interest of external partners.

In order to support customers to better utilize the Intel 18A Process, Intel has released version 1.0 of the Intel 18A PDK (Process Design Kit) in July 2024. This initiative will help EDA and IP partners such as Cadence, Synopsys, Siemens EDA, Ansys and others improve support for Intel 18A and drive the design and development of new products.

intel CEO: Overall performance is better than TSMC's 2nm

Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest, successors to Arrow Lake and Sierra Forest, respectively, were able to successfully boot their operating systems without additional changes, demonstrating the health of Intel's 18A advanced process, Intel said.

Panther Lake's DDR memory performance has reached the target frequency, and Clearwater Forest will be the cornerstone of Intel's future CPU and AI products. RibbonFET, PowerVia, Foveros Direct3D packaging processes are integrated for the first time in large-scale production products, and it is also a representative product of future Intel 3-T substrate bare chip technology (base-die).

The application of these technologies will also help improve the performance and energy efficiency of processors to meet the needs of AI computing.

The Intel 18A process is also the last node in Intel's 2021 "Five process nodes in four years" plan, and its success is seen as a key step in Intel's effort to regain its leading position in the semiconductor process competition. According to Intel's vision, 18A will be a key node for them to surpass TSMC and regain the world's first semiconductor process!

What's more, Intel 18A is a process technology of great interest to potential IFS customers, as it is considered more competitive than TSMC's 3nm and 2nm products to be launched in 2024-2025. According to Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, Intel 18A and TSMC N2 (2 nm) can accommodate the same number of transistors and performance, but through individual innovation technology in the overall performance is better than TSMC 2 nm.

At present, half of the world's top 10 advanced packaging customers have embraced 18A. However, Intel's stock price movement does not fully reflect its positive progress in process technology. Recent financial reports show that although there have been breakthroughs in technological innovation and product development, there are some challenges in financial performance.

Article source: Electronic Engineering Album

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