Intel is making waves with its latest development in the semiconductor industry. The company’s CFO has shared exciting news about the 14A process, a chip designed to capture the interest of external customers on a larger scale than ever before.
Significant Interest in Intel’s 14A Process
Recently, Intel introduced the 18A node, receiving praise for its impressive performance, power, and area (PPA) metrics and its integration into products like Panther Lake. Despite the attention on the 18A, it is the 14A chip that holds the key to Intel’s future ambitions in chipmaking. According to Intel’s CFO, David Zinsner, the 14A process is showing substantial progress in performance and yield rates, surpassing expectations. 14A’s performance has matched the achievements of the 18A, nearly a year ahead of the scheduled risk production timeline, marking a major milestone for Intel.
I would tell you, on 14A, we’re off to a great start. And if you look at 14A in terms of its maturity relative to 18A at that same point of maturity, we’re better in terms of performance and yield. So we’re off to an even better start on 14A. We just got to kind of continue that progress.
The 14A chip is pivotal not only in leading the domestic chip markets but also in drawing external customer interest. Unlike the internally focused 18A, 14A aims to attract significant customer adoption.
The Path to Production and Customer Engagement
Intel is currently sampling the 14A with potential clients at each major milestone, gathering valuable feedback to ensure the chip’s success in generating foundry orders. As production targets the end of 2026, the industry eagerly watches to see if the 14A will meet expectations. The 14A’s anticipated improvements include the use of High-NA equipment and RibbonFET 2 transistors, promising significant advancements over the 18A process. From a financial standpoint, the successful launch of this process is crucial for Intel, as it could establish the company as a leading foundry service for industry customers.