Intel finally has a process node that looks like it belongs in this decade, but it is finding that customers are a bit slow on the uptake.
Intel Foundry has been seeking customer commitments for years, but the 18A process is only starting to gain traction, helped by a solid Panther Lake launch, which customers not signing up nearly enough yet.
The snag is external volume, and the grumbling centres over its Backside Power Delivery Network, and it is Chipzilla’s distinctive move for 18A. It routes power and ground on the back of the silicon, freeing space on the front side for faster signal routing.
Intel’s slide deck, proudly titled ‘Intel is the FIRST to implement backside power onto Silicon’, points at PowerVia as the enabler, and it is not subtle about wanting credit for being first.
TechInsights says the whole thing is an early bet that might pay off big later, but it explains why customers are wary. Backside power means reworking physical design methods from the ground up because it deviates from the norms most teams have baked into flows, libraries and habits.
“While BSP offers long-term benefits in power integrity and scaling efficiency, it also represents a structural departure from conventional design methodologies. Adoption requires substantial design re-architecture, limiting immediate portability for customers accustomed to frontside power delivery. In contrast, competing foundries are expected to delay BSP implementation until later in the decade, with broader industry adoption anticipated around 2027,” TechInsights points out.
That is the trade, and it lands at the worst possible time when most companies want portability, predictable schedules and no surprises that trigger another verification marathon.
Still, being first with PowerVia gives Chipzilla an edge, especially against TSMC’s plan to introduce a similar approach with A16, which is pitched to arrive almost two generations later. Panther Lake ramping to expectations is also a useful billboard, as it suggests that BSPDN is not just clever but also improves power efficiency and compute performance.
Chipzilla is pushing the idea that 18A-P, a derivative of 18A, should be an easier sell once customers see the benefits.
Intel says 18A offers 25 per cent higher frequency at ISO and 36 per cent lower power at the same frequency versus Intel 3, alongside more than 30 per cent density.
For now, the smarter money is that external customers may wait for 14A-class nodes, even as everyone is already being forced to rethink transistors and power delivery, whether they like it or not.
