Intel's upcoming 14A process will cost more than 18A, largely due to High-NA EUV tools priced at $380 million each. It delivers up to 35 percent lower power consumption and 20 percent better performance-per-watt.
www.notebookcheck.net/, Sept. 10, 2025 –
Intel CFO David Zinsner recently confirmed that Intel's upcoming 14A node will be more expensive than its current 18A node. The higher costs are thanks to next-gen High-NA EUV lithography tools, which cost about $380 million compared to current $235 million tools. Notably, the 14A node represents Intel's first fab process specifically designed for both internal and external foundry customers.
The upcoming 14A node is said to offer about 15 to 20 percent better performance-per-watt compared to the current 18A node, with 25 to 35 percent lower power consumption. The 14A node also features RibbonFET 2 transistors, PowerDirect backside power delivery, and Turbo Cells. The new High-NA EUV tool can achieve a significantly finer resolution of 8nm in a single exposure, compared to the 13.5nm resolution found in current tools.
Intel, however, needs external foundry customers to justify the development costs of 14A. The company may also slow down or even completely abandon the node if the foundry can't capture enough external customers. CEO Lip-Bu Tan is growing more confident based on 18A yield improvements, though. Meanwhile, Intel Foundry cannot be spun off due to US government contract terms (requiring 51 percent control).
On a separate note, Intel will reportedly continue to use TSMC "forever" according to its CFO. Current production stats are 70 percent in-house and 30 percent outsourced to external foundries. TSMC reportedly manufactures the entire Lunar Lake lineup and most of Arrow Lake chips. Intel is also reportedly one of TSMC's first customers for 2nm chips, with TSMC expected to produce the upcoming Nova Lake chips.
Intel has recently received billion-dollar investments, including $2 billion from SoftBank and $5.7 billion from government funding, with additional investments expected from Mobileye ($1 billion) and Altera ($3.5 billion). Panther Lake on 18A is expected to start production later this year, with 2026 viewed as a pivotal year for determining the advancement of 14A.