Intel’s make-or-break 18A node “now ready”

Signaling the 18A process is ready for business, Intel has launched a website to showcase the node on which former CEO Pat Gelsinger famously “bet the whole company.” It’s generally understood that the 18A process needs to be at least reasonably competitive with TSMC’s equivalent 2nm node for Intel to have a future in manufacturing.

Intel and TSMC are both transitioning from FinFETs to gate-all-around (GAA, or RibbonFET in Intel speak) transistors. Unlike TSMC, however, Intel is also introducing backside power delivery (Powervia), which could boost performance by untangling signal and power routing. According to a preliminary analysis by Techinsights, TSMC has the upper hand in density, while Intel is the leader in performance.