Intel Foundry Unveils “Process Leadership” Strategy at Direct Connect 2025; Introduces 14A Process and Advanced 18A Derivatives

Alright, here goes nothing. Let’s dive into this mess of tech stuff and see what makes it tick—maybe, or maybe not, who knows.

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So, Intel, yeah? They’ve got this Direct Connect 2025 thing going on, trying to flip the foundry game upside down. New CEO Lip-Bu Tan? Dude just stepped up, showing Intel’s got some fresh plans. We’re talking about their high-end 14A process just itching to leap into action by the back half of 2026. Kind of wild, right?

Apparently, between jumping around with 18A derivatives and throwing some secrets about 14A, Team Blue is all jazzed up. Word is, partners digging into their early stuff with the Process Design Kit (yeah, PDK for the tech geeks) are giving them thumbs up. People are buzzing, probably sipping coffee, nodding like, “yeah, this is good”.

Now, this 14A thing? It’s packing second-gen PowerVia—PowerDirect if you wanna sound fancy at parties. Basically, it’s all about juicing those transistors more efficiently. Intel’s like two steps ahead of TSMC with this backside power thing. No idea if TSMC’s catching up or just snacking on popcorn watching this unfold.

Take a peek at this snapshot, though. No lie, something about this tech stuff makes me hungry—can’t explain that right now.

Anyway, back to those juicy details. Besides the whole 14A fiesta, they’ve dropped 18A stuff: 18A-P and 18A-PT, and whoa, those names sound like sci-fi character codes or something. Performance-wise? They’re boasting. High five to Intel, I guess.

Here’s where it gets sci-fi fancy. They’re doing some Foveros Direct 3D hybrid bonding magic, stacking chiplets like pancakes. Seriously, 5 microns tiny? Competing with TSMC’s approach that’s like, 9 microns? That’s a nerdy flex right there, potentially cooking up some serious processors, maybe giving AMD a run for their money with Ryzen X3D stuff. You got Clearwater Forest Xeon CPUs involved too. Bet you ten bucks no one saw that coming.

Oh, and they’ve kicked off risk production for the 18A process. HVM by year’s end? High Volume Manufacturing for those not in the know. That’s like production hype, on steroids. Panther Lake SoCs are on the brink of hitting the roads come 2026. Intel’s answering TSMC’s N2 with some serious heat. 20A’s been tossed out the window, though. No clue why, but they’re keen on buddying up with Synopsys and Cadence to build this whole foundry ecosystem. Partners nodding in agreement—everyone’s happy, for now.

So yeah, Intel’s stirring things up. Tech tango unfolding, and everyone’s watching, eating popcorn. Who knows how it’ll all play out? But hey, it’s their rodeo now.