Intel could use TSMC exclusively to build Arrow Lake processor family

The Intel 18A process node is expected to bring refinements to RibbonFET, delivering a major jump in transistor performance. RibbonFET is Intel Foundry's implementation of a Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistor that improves density and performance compared to FinFET. Following a Reuters report suggesting that Intel's next major process node was not meeting customer expectations, Intel provided an update on Intel 18A.

Since releasing the Intel 18A Process Design Kit (PDK) 1.0 in July, Intel says it has received positive responses from its ecosystem. The company confirmed that Intel 18A is "powered on, booting on operating systems, and yielding well." It claims that the current defect density of Intel 18A process is already at D0

Due to the positive progress of Intel 18A, Intel has decided to shift engineering resources from Intel 20A earlier than expected. As a result, Intel's latest Arrow Lake processor family could be built primarily using TSMC and packaged by Intel Foundry.

Ben Sell, Vice President of Technology Development at Intel Corporation, said:

“The journey to Intel 18A has been built on the groundwork laid by Intel 20A. It enabled us to explore and refine new techniques, materials, and transistor architectures crucial for advancing Moore's Law. With Intel 20A, we successfully integrated both RibbonFET gate-all-around transistor architecture and PowerVia backside power delivery for the first time, and these learnings have directly informed the first commercial implementation of both technologies in Intel 18A.”

When launched next year, Intel 18A will feature an optimized ribbon stack to deliver better performance per watt and minimum supply voltage (Vmin). Additionally, the PowerVia backside power delivery architecture will improve standard cell utilization by 5-10% and ISO-power performance by up to 4%. Intel 18A is targeted towards server, HPC, and mobile applications..

While the shift in resources may affect Arrow Lake, the focus on 18A highlights Intel's determination to reclaim its leadership position in the industry.