Intel has confirmed 14A will hit high-volume production in 2028, with Lip-Bu Tan sounding unusually chipper about the node.
Intel reported another solid financial quarter, pointing to strong demand as a key revenue driver. During the earnings call, Intel chief executive Lip-Bu Tan gave investors a progress report on the foundry business.
Chipzilla reckons its “disciplined execution” and growing confidence from internal designs and external customers have turned its foundry outfit into a competitive semiconductor player. In the second quarter, Intel 7, Intel 3 and Intel 18A all beat internal volume targets.
That volume came from better fab use, faster cycle times and fatter wafer stocks. The foundry slide showed quarterly segment revenue moving the right way from the second quarter of 2025 to the second quarter of 2026.
Chipzilla’s 18A output rose in particular, which should help the ramp of Panther Lake Core Ultra Series 3 and Wildcat Lake Core Series 3. Tan said he “keeps on raising the bar on internal targets”, and his team keeps meeting the hurdles put in front of it.
Intel has begun risk production of 18A-P, but 14A is already outpacing 18A on defect density and transistor performance. The PDK 0.5 is out, while PDK 0.9 remains on track for October.
Chipzilla is building and validating the IP portfolio for 14A, with the process expected to land “across a wide range of customers”. That is foundry-speak for hoping enough people trust the fab roadmap to write large cheques.
Tan said he was pleased with the rising customer engagement around 14A, while Chipzilla is lining up several internal products to use the node. The latest schedule puts 14A risk production for internal products in the second half of 2027, earlier than the previous 2028 plan.
High-volume production is now expected in 2028, ahead of the original 2029 target. For Chipzilla, moving anything forward on a roadmap is the sort of event that normally requires checking the calendar twice.
“I’m pleased to see the increasing momentum on customer engagement for Intel 14A and I’m increasingly confident that the 14A will be highly competitive process offering across key sectors of performance, power, density, cost and schedule. We’re encouraging progress among external customers and increased demand for our internal products. We remain on track for 14A risk production for our internal products in the second half of 2027, and we make the decision in Q2 to fully commit to high-volume ramp in 2028,” Tan said.
The 14A high-volume manufacturing plan suggests customers want access to the technology as soon as Chipzilla can make it behave. The company is expected to roll out its own products first, using them as silicon bait for nervous external customers.
Several 14A engagements have already been reported, although the big names remain hidden behind non-disclosure curtains at this point.
