Intel has dragged Cadence deeper into its 14A plans to speed up development and optimisation of its coming 14A process.
In a statement, Intel pitches the node as the crown jewel of Intel Foundry and one of the biggest tests of Chipzilla’s attempt to become a serious contract manufacturer.
Every tech site with a pulse has been chewing through Intel 14A coverage, because the process is seen as a make-or-break product for the foundry business. So far, Chipzilla has managed to stir up interest around 14A through reported links with TeraFab, the Fruity Cargo Cult Apple, Nvidia and others.
Job’s Mob and Nvidia have not exactly been shouting from rooftops, which is usually how these things go when customers want leverage and suppliers want headlines. Cadence said the expanded agreement combines its AI-driven electronic design automation tools and design IP with Intel’s process work and advanced design expertise.
Cadence president and chief executive Anirudh Devgan said: “Advancing our relationship with Intel into a much deeper partnership is a major milestone for both companies. This collaboration will leverage the strengths of both companies to empower customers to unlock new levels of performance, power, and efficiency, advance the state of the art, and accelerate the realisation of next-generation products.”
Devgan’s lot will provide design technology co-optimisation tools to Intel Foundry, with 14A sitting at the front of the queue.
Intel Foundry executive vice president and general manager Naga Chandrasekaran said: “Our expanded collaboration with Cadence reflects Intel Foundry’s continued focus on delivering on its technology roadmap and ecosystem on behalf of our customers. By combining Intel’s process and packaging with Cadence’s AI-driven design tools, we are enabling deeper co-optimisation, strengthening our ability to deliver on customers’ needs, and showcasing the ability of both companies to drive innovation at scale.”
The companies say the work will focus on tools, flows and methods needed to improve performance, power and area.
Cadence and Chipzilla will work on production-ready process design kits, which are the boring but vital bits customers need before they risk real silicon. Chipzilla expects the work to unlock “new levels of performance, power, and efficiency,” which is the usual supplier chant before the wafers prove whether the magic exists.
The company has tried to build confidence in 14A by saying it will use the process for its own internal products. Chipzilla has yet to name a major 14A customer publicly, despite the chatter around TeraFab, Job’s Mob and Nvidia.
That fits Intel chief executive Lip-Bu Tan’s apparent strategy of letting customers announce partnerships rather than spoiling the surprise himself. For now, Cadence gives 14A another bit of ecosystem credibility, which Chipzilla needs before the foundry dream turns into another slide deck bonfire.
