Intel Details Panther Lake Chip, New 18A Manufacturing Technology

Intel announced key details of its upcoming Panther Lake laptop processor, the first chip built on its next-generation 18A production process, aiming to restore its manufacturing edge and convince investors of its costly turnaround plan.

Credit: INTEL

Panther Lake targets high-end, artificial intelligence-enabled laptops and marks a significant test of Intel’s ability to scale its 18A manufacturing technology. The chip aims to reclaim PC market share previously lost to rival AMD.

The integrated graphics and central processors in Panther Lake offer 50% faster performance than its previous generation of chips, Lunar Lake, which was primarily manufactured by rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

The 18A process features a new transistor design and an efficient method for delivering energy to the chip. Panther Lake utilises a "system-on-chip" design, which typically integrates various components like a graphic processor, and a central processing unit, onto a single circuit.

Production for the processor will commence this year, with initial units slated to ship before the end of 2025. The chip will be broadly available from Jan. 2026.

Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research, stated, "Panther Lake is extremely important to Intel on many different levels." O'Donnell added that it could serve as "confirmation of the company's continued advancements in semiconductor manufacturing and show the kind of chips that their fabs can produce."

Chief Executive Officer Lip-Bu Tan has recently scaled back the extensive manufacturing expansion initiated by his predecessor, Pat Gelsinger. In July, Intel warned it would halt development of its future 14A process unless a customer was secured.

Credit: INTEL

After U.S. President Donald Trump called for Tan’s resignation in Aug., Intel attracted new investments from SoftBank Group, and Nvidia. Following Tan’s meeting with Trump and White House officials, the administration converted a planned CHIPS Act grant into a 9.9% equity stake in the company.

Tan remarked on Thursday that the new technologies "are catalysts for innovation across our business as we build a new Intel." The company’s chip manufacturing facility in Arizona, known as Fab 52, is now fully operational.

Fab 52 is set to reach high-volume production using 18A later this year. Intel’s new server processor, Clearwater Forest, also being made at Fab 52, is scheduled for launch in the first half of 2026.

Intel anticipates Clearwater Forest will secure a share in AI data centres due to its power efficiency, even though Intel has not yet gained traction in the AI graphics processor market, which Nvidia dominates.

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• Intel unveiled its Panther Lake laptop processor, built on the next-generation 18A production process.

• Panther Lake aims for high-end, AI-enabled laptops and offers 50% faster performance than previous chips.

• The 18A process includes a new transistor design and improved energy delivery for chips.

Source: REUTERS