The upcoming Intel processors Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest are to be manufactured using the company's 18A manufacturing process, which is expected to overshadow the technology of manufacturing rival TSMC for the time being. The first product samples have arrived in the lab and have been powered on and booted.
www.all-about-industries.com, Aug. 27, 2024 –
The large corporation Intel Corporation plans to save money through partly massive restructuring measures while simultaneously making up for the ground that its order manufacturer Intel Foundry has lost over the years to TSMC and Samsung. Part of this plan to catch up with leading chip contract manufacturers is to produce even finer structures with the 18A manufacturing process starting in 2025. 18A includes RibbonFET Gate-All-Around transistor architecture and PowerVia Backside Power Delivery, which can be offered to foundry customers for the first time, according to Intel.
Since Intel is currently navigating through challenging waters, there was a search for positive news in early August 2024, which is typically not celebrated with much fanfare. With the words "We are pioneering in the field of foundry technologies for the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and delivering a whole series of innovations that are crucial for the next generation of products for Intel and our foundry customers. We are encouraged by our progress and are working closely with our customers to bring Intel 18A to market in 2025," Intel Senior Vice President and General Manager for Foundry Services, Kevin O'Buckley, commented on such a positive development in early August 2024 in a press release.
Intel's 18A with Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest is operational
The first processors manufactured with 18A left the fab in August 2024 and have landed in Intel's lab, where they could be powered on and their operating systems booted. These are the next generation of Intel processors, known under the names Panther Lake (a processor for AI PCs) and Clearwater Forest (a server processor). "These milestones were achieved less than six months after tape-out, and both products are expected to go into production in 2025," Intel announces. The first external customer is expected to be able to work with Intel 18A in the first half of 2025.
Some details about the laboratory results for Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest were disclosed. The health of the manufacturing process can be discerned, among other things, from the fact that the DDR memory performance of Panther Lake is already at the target frequency. According to Intel, Clearwater Forest, dubbed the "archetype of future CPU and AI chips," is expected to be the first high-performance solution manufactured in mass production that combines RibbonFET, PowerVia, and Foveros Direct 3D for higher density and power consumption.
RibbonFET and PowerVia
The core technologies RibbonFET and PowerVia in Intel 18A enable greater scalability and efficiency of processors, which are necessary for the further development of AI computing. "RibbonFET allows for stringent control of the electrical current in the transistor channel, which permits further miniaturization of chip components while simultaneously reducing power loss," it is explained. PowerVia, on the other hand, optimizes signal routing by separating the power supply from the front side of the wafer, thus reducing resistance and enhancing energy efficiency.
TSMC lags behind?
Backside Power Delivery Network (BSPDN) is a technology that manufacturers TSMC and Samsung are also developing. In April 2024, the leading contract manufacturer TSMC announced plans to advance the A16 manufacturing process with a structure width of 1.6 nanometers; however, at that time, it was estimated that this technology would not be ready until 2026, a year after Intel's 18A on paper. With A16, TSMC plans to employ GAA-Nanosheet transistors and a BSPDN known as Super Power Rail, which is expected to be more complex than Intel's PowerVia. (sb)