Intel starts cooking up enhanced 18A-P silicon for would-be foundry customers
Chipzilla claims 9% speed bump without extra power draw but is compatible with designs for 18A
While Intel ramps up production of its 18A process node, the chipmaker has started limited output of its enhanced variant, 18A-P, promising 9 percent higher performance at the same power.
At the IEEE's 2026 VLSI Symposium in Hawaii, Intel disclosed that it has started risk production using 18A-P, the first of its planned enhancements for the 18A process, and potentially the first to be used for commercial customers of Intel's foundry biz.
Risk production refers to initial low-volume output to qualify a new manufacturing node. Chipzilla says reaching this stage means it is meeting timelines it has shared with customers and partners.
The x86 giant launched its first chips made with the base 18A processback in January, in the form of the "Panther Lake" Core Ultra Series 3 processors. But it had already...
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