Intel's 18A Chip Process Achieves Key Milestones, Set for 2025 Production

Intel 18A process meets key benchmarks, production set for 2025

Intel has announced that its Panther Lake (AI PC client processor) and Clearwater Forest (server processor) have successfully completed their initial phases, including booting an operating system, within less than two quarters after tape-out. Intel's 18A node integrates RibbonFET and PowerVIA technologies. RibbonFET boosts transistor efficiency by tightly controlling electrical current, reducing power leakage, and enabling smaller chip components. PowerVIA enhances power delivery by separating it from the wafer's front side, thereby lowering resistance and improving power efficiency. Both Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest have successfully booted operating systems, showcasing the effectiveness of these technologies. Panther Lake meets DDR memory performance targets, while Clearwater Forest will be the first high-performance chip to combine RibbonFET, PowerVIA, and Foveros Direct 3D technologies. Intel's foundry business is progressing with the release of the 18A Process Design Kit (PDK) 1.0, essential for completing chip designs. Kevin O'Buckley, Head of Intel Foundry Services, noted that Panther Lake is yielding well and its DDR memory controller is meeting performance targets ahead of schedule. According to Intel, the 18A process node development is on schedule, with production anticipated to begin in 2025, though specific release dates have not been confirmed. The first external customer's chip design is set to tape out in early 2025. Speaking about the launch, Kevin O'Buckley, Intel Senior Vice President and General Manager of Foundry Services, said,

Intel Announces Progress on Intel 18A Node with Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest Processors

Intel has announced significant advancements with its lead products on the Intel 18A process, specifically the Panther Lake AI PC client processor and the Clearwater Forest server processor. Both products have successfully powered on and booted operating systems, marking a key milestone achieved within two quarters post tape-out. Production is slated to begin in 2025, with the first external customer expected to tape out on Intel 18A in the first half of the next year. Intel released the Intel 18A Process Design Kit (PDK) 1.0 in July, enabling foundry customers to utilize the RibbonFET gate-all-around transistor architecture and PowerVia backside power delivery in their designs. The company's electronic design automation (EDA) and intellectual property (IP) partners are updating their tools to facilitate customers' final production designs. The initial chips based on the Intel 18A process have now been activated, confirming successful functionality. Large-scale production of Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest processors is set to commence next year, with Intel 18A also being made available to external customers. Intel's RibbonFET gate-all-around transistors and PowerVia backside power delivery represent significant technological advancements, aimed at enhancing processor efficiency and scaling for AI computing. RibbonFET offers precise control over electrical current in the transistor channel, allowing for further miniaturization and reduced power leakage. PowerVia optimizes signal routing by segregating power delivery from the front side of the wafer, thereby improving power efficiency. Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest processors' successful operating system booting without additional configurations underscores the robustness of Intel's 18A process technology. Additional indicators of its health include Panther Lake DDR memory performance achieving target frequency. Clearwater Forest, expected next year, will be the industry's first high-performance solution combining RibbonFET, PowerVia, and Foveros Direct 3D for enhanced density and power management. In preparation for the Intel 18A node, Intel's EDA and IP partners have gained access to the Intel 18A PDK 1.0, updating their tools and design flows to enable external foundry customers to commence their Intel 18A chip designs. This milestone is critical for Intel's foundry business, facilitating customer innovation with access to advanced EDA solutions and IP optimized for Intel 18A. Cadence's strategic collaboration with Intel Foundry aims to accelerate customer innovation by providing access to leading EDA solutions and IP optimized for Intel 18A. Similarly, Synopsys plays a crucial role in enabling Synopsys' EDA and IP solutions for Intel's leading-edge process. Intel's 18A node, incorporating RibbonFET and PowerVia technologies, is positioned to drive forward next-generation AI solutions with greater efficiency and performance. This node represents the culmination of Intel's roadmap, transitioning to gate-all-around transistors for better leakage current control and integrating backside power delivery for enhanced power efficiency.

Intel 18A chip production to begin in 2025

Intel has announced that its lead products based on the Intel 18A process technology -- Panther Lake, an AI PC client processor, and Clearwater Forest, a server processor -- have powered on and booted operating systems. The production of both products will start in 2025. The company also announced that the first external customer is expected to tape out on Intel 18A in the first half of next year. It said that Intel Foundry is the first to implement both RibbonFET gate-all-around transistors and PowerVia backside power technology for its customers. Through ecosystem electronic design automation (EDA) and IP tools and process flow, it offers RibbonFET and PowerVia to all customers through Intel 18A. With access to the Intel 18A PDK 1.0 last month, the company's EDA and IP partners are updating tools and design flows to enable external foundry customers to begin their Intel 18A chip designs. 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 said. RibbonFET and PowerVia are core Intel 18A technologies that enable greater processor scale and efficiency to drive AI computing, it said. Also read Trigyn to set up AI innovation centre with 1,000 employees Semiconductor manufacturing can build tremendous ecosystems: Micron The paradox of powerful AI: When bigger isn't always better RibbonFET is meant to give tight control over the electrical current in the transistor channel, enabling further miniaturisation of chip components while reducing power leakage -- a critical factor as chips become increasingly dense. PowerVia optimises signal routing by separating power delivery from the front of the wafer, reducing resistance and improving power efficiency. Together, these technologies could lead to substantial gains in computing performance and battery life in future electronic devices. SHARE Copy linkEmailFacebookTwitterTelegramLinkedInWhatsAppRedditPublished on August 7, 2024

Intel 18A fab process first tape out to hit market in first half of 2025

Intel on Wednesday announced that products based on Intel 18A, Panther Lake (AI PC client processor) and Clearwater Forest (server processor), are out of the fab and have powered-on and booted operating systems. Intel said to achieve it in less than two quarters after tape-out, with both products on track to start production in 2025. The company also announced that the first external customer is expected to tape out on Intel 18A in the first half of next year. Intel Foundry is the first to successfully implement both RibbonFET gate-all-around transistors and PowerVia backside power technology for foundry customers. In gaining access to the Intel 18A PDK 1.0 last month, the company's EDA and IP partners are updating their tools and design flows to enable external foundry customers to begin their Intel 18A chip designs. This is a critical enabling milestone for Intel's foundry business. (For top technology news of the day, subscribe to our tech newsletter Today's Cache) These core Intel 18A technologies enable greater processor scale and efficiency, which is required to drive forward AI computing, the company said. RibbonFET allows for tight control over the electrical current in the transistor channel, enabling further miniaturisation of chip components while reducing power leakage, a critical factor as chips become increasingly dense. PowerVia optimises signal routing by separating power delivery from the front side of the wafer, thus reducing resistance and improving power efficiency. "Together, these technologies demonstrate a powerful combination that could lead to substantial gains in computing performance and battery life in future electronic devices," the company told. "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. We are encouraged by our progress and are working closely with customers to bring Intel 18A to market in 2025," said Kevin O'Buckley, Intel SVP and GM of Foundry Services. Read Comments

Intel announces milestone in 18A fabrication process, Panther Lake CPU production expected in 2025 | 91mobiles.com

Chipmaking giant Intel has announced its lead products on the Intel 18A fabrication process. This will be used to manufacture a new generation of computer chips: the Panther Lake (AI PC client processor) and Clearwater Forest (server processor). Intel says these are out of the fabrication and have powered on and boosted the OS. The company was able to achieve this within less than two-quarters of tape-out. Intel says these milestones show the company's Foundry is the first to successfully implement both RibbonFET gate-all-around transistors and PowerVia backside power technology for Foundry customers. RibbonFET allows for tight control over the electrical current in the transistor channel, thereby enabling further miniaturisation of chip components while reducing power leakage, a critical factor as chips become increasingly dense. PowerVia optimises signal routing by separating power delivery from the front side of the wafer. This reduces resistance and improves power efficiency. Panther Lake meets DDR memory performance targets. On the other hand, in 2025, 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 Fveros Direct 3D for higher density and power handling. Clearwater Forest is also the lead product for the Intel 3-T base-die technology. The company says that by leveraging Intel Foundry's systems foundry approach, both products are expected to deliver significant improvements in performance per watt, transistor density, and cell utilisation.

Intel says its new chips look like they might just work

18A process delivers bootable Panther Lake AI PC processor and Clearwater Forest server silicon Intel has told the world its vaunted 18A manufacturing process works - at least in early tests ... that it's announced with few details. Chipzilla on Tuesday announced what it described as "major milestones" for its foundry, which it now treats as a separate biz that supplies chipmaking services to both Intel and third-party customers. The 18A process is Intel Foundry's attempt to better chipmaking tech employed by rivals like TSMC, and by doing so regain its status as Earth's most sophisticated chipmaker - thanks to its use of RibbonFET gate-all-around transistors and PowerVia backside power technology. The former is a new way of laying out chips that allows increased transistor density, and the latter is a means of delivering power to those denser collections of transistors. Intel's plan is that tech like RibbonFET and PowerVia will return it to technical leadership that will see its own products improve, followed hopefully by sales. Fabless chipmakers will see 18A, swoon, and come-a-knocking to have Intel create their latest designs. Order will be restored to the chipmaking universe - which means Intel on top and delivering rivers of profit on which shareholders will sail into early retirement as Intel scrip soars. Intel badly needs that story to come true. The chip shop recently announced further losses and a fresh round of mass layoffs. It's also dealing with faulty products that look set to cost it plenty because lawyers are contemplating class actions. Tuesday's announcement that Panther Lake client processors and Clearwater Forest server silicon made on 18A "are out of the fab and have powered-on and booted operating systems" is therefore welcome. So is news that this outcome was achieved "less than two quarters after tape-out" and that both products are "on track to start production in 2025." But that's all the detail Intel provided. We don't have detailed info about performance or yields - just an assertion from head of foundry services Kevin O'Buckley that Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest "are being used inside the company, and are yielding and performing well." More info would be appreciated so investors and buyers can understand if yields were strong. Did most of the dies Intel baked produce usable chips, or did just a few yield working products? That question matters - because if 18A has low yields, the process will struggle to make a dent in the market, The announcement also omits mention of when in 2025 production might commence, or the potential volumes. That matters because Intel's rivals are not idle: Qualcomm in particular is keen to move into desktop and workstation processors, after already seeing its Snapdragon Elite X silicon used as Microsoft's poster child for Copilot+ PCs. AMD also has new client silicon in the works. Intel did at least offer a hint of third-party enthusiasm for 18A, revealing that a "first external customer is expected to tape out on Intel 18A in the first half of next year." That's a little vindication of the plan to return to the foundry biz. As The Register considered Intel's announcement, we couldn't help but notice it includes an unusually lengthy set of disclaimers about the forward-looking statements it contains. Out of curiosity, we ran a word count: Chipzilla produced 738 words of news, and 925 of legalese. Which is very telling. This announcement was a tease, not a promise - and it remains to be seen if 18A is really on track to drive the turnaround Intel imagines. ®