Intel Updates Its Toll Processing Roadmap: 18A Process to Enter Mass Production This Year, with New Progress on 14A

On Tuesday local time, Intel held its Foundry Direct Connect event. New CEO Lip-Bu Tan pledged in front of thousands of industry chain customers that the company would continue to invest in its foundry business. Intel also unveiled its latest process technology roadmap on Tuesday.

At the outset, Lip-Bu Tan said that since he took over as CEO five weeks ago, industry insiders have been asking him whether he intends to continue advancing the foundry business. "The answer is yes. I am committed to making Intel's foundry business a success, and I know what needs to be improved," he said.

Intel also announced on Tuesday that its highly anticipated 18A (1.8-nanometer) process has entered the risk production phase and is expected to achieve mass production this year. Meanwhile, the performance-enhanced variant of this process, 18A-P, has also entered early wafer production at the factory. Additionally, the 18A-PT process, based on advanced 3D packaging technology, is also featured in the long-term roadmap.

Dr. Naga Chandrasekaran, Intel's Chief Global Operations Officer and General Manager of Foundry Production and Supply Chain, also showcased a sample 18A process wafer produced at the Oregon factory on site.

For reference, TSMC, the industry leader, is expected to achieve mass production of its 2nm (N2) process in H2 this year. Compared to the N3E process, it is expected to deliver a 10%-15% performance improvement while reducing power consumption by 25%-30%.

Intel also announced that the next-generation 14A process technology, following 18A, will enter the risk production phase around 2027. The new process is expected to bring a 15%-20% improvement in energy efficiency and a 1.3x increase in chip density.

The company also revealed that it has distributed the 14A process technology kit to early customers and received intentions from multiple customers to build chips on this new process node. If all goes according to plan, 14A will also become the industry's first process to use ASML's high-NA EUV lithography machines for mass production. TSMC's A14 technology is scheduled to enter production in 2028 but will not incorporate high-NA lithography machines.

At the event, Lip-Bu Tan also disclosed the four foundational goals of the foundry business, emphasizing that the company is transitioning towards openness and standardization, a long-standing request from many customers.

Lip-Bu Tan stated, "Intel's foundry business aims to achieve power, performance, and area targets with cost competitiveness; ensure that process technology is accessible to a broad customer base; establish in-depth partnerships in advanced packaging; and re-establish Intel as a reliable, ecosystem-friendly foundry partner."

Lip-Bu Tan also invited leaders from industry chain companies such as Synopsys and Cadence and disclosed a series of EDA and IP collaborations.

As a side note at the event, Intel also released a video showing a robot (dog) working in a wafer fab. This robot dog, manufactured by Boston Dynamics, is equipped with a thermal imaging camera, enabling it to patrol the fab and identify overheating machines. The AI system driving the robot dog can automatically generate work orders and summon human engineers to the site for repairs.