Intel has managed to catch up technologically, but it still needs to prove that it can manufacture chips for others, not just for itself.
“I’ve bet the whole company on 18A,” former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger famously said. The 18A process was designated as the apex of a multiyear effort to catch up technologically with market leader TSMC, putting Intel back in a position to compete in leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing. Now that 18A has arrived, is the company saved?
Yes and no. Intel’s Panther Lake mobile processors built on 18A have been well-received in terms of performance and efficiency. Amid an AI-driven CPU shortage, these chips are bound to sell like hotcakes. In fact, partially exacerbated by suboptimal yields, demand will likely exceed supply for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, the 18A family tree continues to branch out with more products. Systems based on the recently launched Clearwater Forest server CPU are expected to appear soon, for example.
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