Intel will most likely decide next year whether it will go ahead with 14A manufacturing. The company previously stated that it needs commitment from external customers to continue with the development and subsequent manufacturing of leading-edge silicon. Speaking at the Citi 2025 Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference, CFO David Zinsner was optimistic that the commitment is going to materialize. “For the most part, we’re pretty confident that 14A will get the right level of capacity or demand to justify the ROI on that investment,” he said.
The 14A node at Intel might debut high-NA EUV lithography in high-volume manufacturing, or at least in logic production. Zinsner said Intel “expects to use” it. Previously, the firm floated the option of offering a parallel low-NA-only 14A process.
According to Zinsner, spinning off the foundry business is “a consideration.” The reasoning behind spinning out the manufacturing unit was to inspire confidence with potential customers as well as attract investors – which could be the same entities. “There are customers on the foundry side that might like the notion of investing in the future of the foundry business. It’s not inconceivable that we do that.” However, Zinsner added that it’s unlikely to happen “anytime soon” because the foundry division is “not quite investable yet.”
