[News] Japan’s Socionext Adds Intel’s 18A-P to Foundry Mix Alongside TSMC

Shortly after announcing in June the risk production of 18A-P, the first performance-enhanced node in its Intel 18A family, Intel has landed a new external customer. According to a press release, Japanese SoC designer Socionext said it will use 18A-P to develop next-generation SoCs.

The move marks a shift for Socionext, which has so far relied on TSMC for leading-edge production, according to Nikkei. In July, the company said it was working with customers planning to adopt TSMC’s A14 process to develop high-performance, power-efficient AI SoCs for data center infrastructure.

By adding Intel’s 18A-P to its technology portfolio, Socionext is expanding its foundry options and giving customers greater flexibility in chip development, Nikkei notes.

Intel is positioning 18A-P as an incremental upgrade over its 18A process. As previously reported by CNBC, the company claims the node delivers up to 9% higher performance or 18% lower power consumption.

Socionext is not the only potential opportunity for Intel’s 18A-P. Earlier reports have linked the node to Apple’s next-generation chips. According to Wccftech, Apple could tap Intel’s 18A-P to produce its M7 chips as early as 2027.

Intel Advances 18A, 18A-P and 14A Roadmap

Notably, CEO Lip-Bu Tan also provided a more detailed update on Intel’s advanced-node roadmap in July. In a Yahoo! Finance transcript, Tan highlighted progress on 18A, saying Intel Foundry has cut the cost of its primary Panther Lake SKU by roughly 50% year to date and is targeting another 20% reduction this year.

On the other hand, Intel Foundry also entered risk production for 18A-P and met critical milestones towards delivering the PDK 0.9 for Intel 14A in October, Tan said. According to Intel’s current schedule, the company remains on track for 14A risk production for internal products in the second half of 2027, while eyeing high volume ramp in 2028.

Read more

• [News] Intel 18A Gains External Adopter Hitachi for Silicon Quantum Chip Project; 1,000-Qubit System Targeted for FY2030
• [News] Intel Might Build Up to 90% of Nova Lake Compute Tiles on 18A, Scaling Back TSMC’s Planned Role

(Photo credit: Intel)