Intel’s Future Depends Heavily on the Success of One Chip Fabrication Node: The 18A Process

Intel is experiencing one of the most challenging periods in its 50-year history. The future of the company’s factories and its chip packaging and testing centers remains uncertain. However, these facilities could eventually be part of a joint venture managed by Intel, TSMC, and potentially other companies in the integrated circuit industry.

Intel’s near-term competitiveness heavily depends on the success of a specific semiconductor manufacturing technology: 18A photolithography. In September, Ben Sell, Intel’s VP of technology development, confirmed that the 18A node is ready for full-scale production in 2025. He also mentioned that the node will benefit from resources reallocated from the 20A node. In the current landscape, the 18A node is clearly set to be the key focus for the company.

More Transistors, Greater Performance, and Reduced Power Consumption

The Intel 18A node will be key to the company’s future. “Intel Leaders, Intel Board, Trump Administration, please do not sell out and/or give control of Intel Foundry to TSMC, just as Intel is taking a technical lead and getting out of first gear. This would be a horrible, demoralizing mistake,” Joseph Bonetti, Intel’s principal engineering program manager, shared in a LinkedIn post. Bonetti also claims that Intel isn’t falling behind its competitors, but rather achieving great advancements in chip production.

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Although Bonetti doesn’t explicitly mention the 18A integration technology, his statement is rooted in it. The node represents Intel’s key asset in competing with TSMC and Samsung in the integrated circuit production market. This is particularly crucial in a year when 2 nm photolithography is set to become prominent.

In recent months, Intel has been unveiling features of this integration technology. In fact, the company recently released more intriguing information in anticipation of the upcoming 2025 Symposium on VLSI Technology and Circuits, which will be held in June in Kyoto.

The 18A lithography primarily relies on two key innovations: RibbonFET Gate-All-Around transistors and PowerVia power delivery technology. PowerVia’s goal is to address the limitations caused by the introduction of smaller, more closely packed transistors in integrated circuits. This configuration often leads to competition between the power and signal lines within each chip, resulting in bottlenecks that can significantly hinder CPU performance and power efficiency.

The PowerVia technology aims to resolve this issue by physically separating the power and signal lines of the transistors. Traditionally, both types of lines occupied the same physical space. However, with Intel’s upcoming 20A lithography, which was commercially rejected in September 2024, the arrangement will change to a layered structure. In this new design, transistors will be positioned in the center, power lines in a lower layer, and signal lines in an upper layer.

For users, the most interesting aspect of this development is Intel’s promise that its 18A lithography will deliver a 25% increase in performance while using the same voltage as the Intel 3 integration technology. Additionally, it claims to provide a 36% reduction in power consumption at the same frequency and voltage. By lowering the voltage from 1.1 volts to 0.75 volts, the 18A lithography can achieve 18% higher performance and 38% lower power consumption.

You should keep in mind that these claims come from Intel itself. However, it’s in consumers’ best interest that companies such as Intel, TSMC, and Samsung remain competitive and strong.

Image | BoliviaInteligente

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