[News] Intel Reportedly Reaffirms 14A Commitment as Lip-Bu Tan Hints at Possible Customer Interest

Intel has unveiled its 18A-based Core Ultra 3-series “Panther Lake” processors at CES, but industry attention is already shifting to what comes next. According to Tom’s Hardware, CEO Lip-Bu Tan said in an Intel News video posted on X that the company is “going big time into 14A,” adding that Intel expects strong momentum in both yields and its IP portfolio as the node advances, positioning it to better serve customer needs.

Intel’s 14A process is expected to be production-ready in 2027, with early versions of its process design kit (PDK) slated to be released to external customers in early 2026, the report notes. Tan’s upbeat remarks mark a notable shift from his comments in July, when he said Intel would pause or potentially discontinue the node if it failed to secure a customer.

The report further points out that Tan’s use of the term “the customer” suggests Intel Foundry may manufacture 14A chips for Intel Products as well as at least one external customer.

Intel 14A Hinges on External Customers

As Tom’s Hardware highlights, securing external customers will be critical to the success of 14A. With 18A, Intel has yet to land a major outside client with meaningful volume demand. For 14A, the company is aiming to secure at least one external customer capable of committing to substantial volumes—a key factor in recouping the heavy investments required to develop such an advanced node. Notably, Bits&Chips reports that Intel’s 14A process could become the first manufacturing node to incorporate high-NA EUV lithography.

Still, Tom’s Hardware notes that Intel’s current capital spending plans do not include funding for 14A capacity dedicated to third-party customers. As a result, even if Intel secures an order from a major client, it would need to make additional investments to build out capacity, delaying Intel Foundry’s path to breakeven.

Tom’s Hardware also adds that long lead times for advanced equipment such as EUV scanners could cause Intel to miss key foundry opportunities if it is unable to bring third-party capacity online in time. Meanwhile, Barron’s reports that analysts see a possibility that NVIDIA and Apple could “take a hard look” at manufacturing chips on Intel’s 14A process around 2028 or 2029.

Read more

• [News] Intel Debuts Core Ultra Series 3 on 18A at CES, Highlights iGPU Gains and Handheld Platform Plans
• [News] Intel Gains Momentum: 18A Eyes Apple, EMIB Reportedly Tapped for Google-MediaTek TPUs

(Photo credit: Intel)