Intel to Unveil Panther Lake Chip Details, Highlight 18A Process

Intel plans to release technical details about its forthcoming Panther Lake chip for laptops on Thursday, according to sources briefed on the plans. This effort aims to reassure investors about Intel's initial product made entirely using its next-generation 18A manufacturing process.

CREDIT: Intel

Panther Lake chips are the company's high-end mobile processors, typically featured in more expensive laptops. They mark the first high-volume Intel products to utilise the 18A process, which the company has invested billions into developing.

These chips represent an opportunity for Intel to reclaim some market share, having steadily lost ground in the laptop and PC sectors to rival Advanced Micro Devices, partly due to past manufacturing challenges.

Last week, Intel held extensive technical briefings and factory tours in Arizona for industry analysts. These sessions provided detailed explanations of the new Panther Lake microarchitecture, including its graphics, central processor cores, and media engine, sources indicated.

During the briefings, Intel revealed a redesigned AI engine and its efficiency and performance processor cores, which have been specifically redesigned for the 18A manufacturing process.

Intel executives have stated that the Panther Lake chips will be available early in 2026. These new chips use 30% less energy than the prior generation, and their graphics and central processors will receive a 50% boost in their ability to crunch data in certain situations, a second source briefed on the chips reported.

In contrast, the last-generation laptop chip, Lunar Lake, was primarily manufactured by Intel rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

An Intel spokesperson said the company holds technical briefings in the autumn most years on various topics but declined to comment further. The technical briefings conducted last week for a group of analysts and journalists underscored the importance of Panther Lake's success to Intel, which has struggled to manufacture the cutting-edge chips.

In July, the chipmaker reported a second-quarter loss of USD 2.9 billion. It also disclosed that work on its planned future 14A manufacturing process would be suspended if it failed to secure a customer.

Credit: THE WHITE HOUSE

Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for the resignation of Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan in August, Intel attracted investments from SoftBank Group and Nvidia. After Mr. Tan met with Mr. Trump and other officials at the White House, the administration secured a deal to convert a CHIPS Act grant into a 9.9% equity stake in the company.

As part of last week's briefings, Intel conducted a tour of its factories in Arizona for reporters and industry analysts, including Fab 52. Intel broke ground on Fab 52 in 2021 as part of former CEO Pat Gelsinger's multibillion-dollar global expansion plan to compete with TSMC in contract manufacturing.

Fab 52 houses Intel's 18A in-house manufacturing process, which features a new transistor design and a more efficient method of delivering energy to the chip. The tour aimed to showcase Intel's manufacturing prowess and the factory designated for high-volume manufacturing of Panther Lake chips.

Credit: Tom's Hardware

Intel executives did not discuss the current Panther Lake yields, or the number of good chips the company is capable of producing, according to the people present. Reports in August indicated that over the summer, the Panther Lake yield was approximately 10%, an increase from 5% late last year.

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• Intel is set to reveal technical details for its Panther Lake laptop chip.

• Panther Lake will be the first high-volume product using Intel's 18A manufacturing process.

• The new chips, expected by early 2026, will use 30% less energy and offer a 50% boost in data processing in some situations.

Source: REUTERS

Inversion Unveils Arc: Rapid Space Delivery, Hypersonic Research Vehicle

Inversion, a Los Angeles-based aerospace and defence organisation, has unveiled its flagship spacecraft, Arc. The company revealed the vehicle during an event at its factory. Arc is designed to deliver up to 226.8 kilogrammes of mission-critical cargo from orbit to almost any point on Earth in under an hour.

Credit: Inversion

Arc, described as the world’s first space delivery vehicle, can land without runways and serve as a hypersonic research platform for the U.S. military. Co-founders Justin Fiaschetti and Austin Briggs, who started Inversion in 2021, presented Arc as a new logistics platform.

Fiaschetti stated, “Arc represents the next leap, creating a logistics network in space that will make Earth radically more accessible.” The spacecraft, standing about 2.44 metres tall and 1.22 metres wide, is roughly the size of a large tabletop.

Credit: Inversion

It is built to handle deliveries ranging from medical kits to drones. Fiaschetti told Ars Technica that the company plans to pre-position Arcs in orbit for up to five years, ready to descend when needed.

He added, “The nominal mission for us is pre-positioning Arcs on orbit, and having them stay up there for up to five years… being able to bring their cargo or effects to the desired location in under an hour.” Arc uses a lifting body design, allowing it to manoeuvre as it reenters the atmosphere.

The company states Arc has a cross-range of about 999.45 kilometres during reentry, enabling it to steer across wide areas before descent. The vehicle lands under parachutes, eliminating the need for a runway.

Its propulsion system uses non-toxic materials, permitting soldiers to handle it safely without protective gear immediately after touchdown. Fiaschetti noted, “We like to describe this as mission-enabling cargo or effects.”

He further explained, “This could be a wide variety of specific payloads, anything from medical supplies to drones to what have you. But the key discriminator is, does this make a difference in the moment it’s needed when it gets back down to the ground?”

Beyond delivery, Inversion is positioning Arc as a hypersonic test platform. The spacecraft can reach speeds exceeding Mach 20, maintain extreme conditions for longer durations, and sustain heavy g-forces.

U.S. defence agencies have increased funding and focus on hypersonic research, and Inversion believes Arc offers a cost-effective method to support this work. The company announced, “Fully reusable and capable of precise landings for rapid recovery, Arc makes hypersonic testing faster, repeatable, and more affordable.”

Inversion’s selection for the Kratos-led MACH-TB 2.0 program highlights growing interest in Arc’s role as part of national testing infrastructure. Arc combines manoeuvrability with reusability, providing both defence logistics and advanced research capabilities in one platform.

Arc follows Inversion’s smaller demonstration spacecraft, Ray, which launched in January on SpaceX’s Transporter-12 rideshare mission. Ray weighed about 90.72 kilogrammes and tested systems such as propulsion, avionics, and solar power.

While Ray successfully adjusted its orbit and continues to function, it was not designed to land. Fiaschetti told Ars Technica, “Ray won’t be coming back.”

He added, “We’re doing long-term testing of software on orbit.” This test provided Inversion with the confidence to begin work on Arc.

The company has already built a full-scale development unit of the primary structure, run dozens of drop tests, and completed aerodynamic modelling. Chief Technology Officer Austin Briggs commented, “Every milestone brings Arc closer to flight maturity, and the pace of progress is only accelerating.”

The team has also partnered with NASA on a thermal protection system for extreme reentry conditions. Inversion, which has 60 employees, aims to fly Arc’s first mission by 2026.

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• Inversion’s Arc spacecraft is designed for rapid, sub-hour cargo delivery anywhere on Earth from orbit.

• The vehicle, capable of carrying up to 226.8 kilogrammes, can land without runways and uses non-toxic propulsion.

• Arc also serves as a hypersonic test platform, able to reach speeds above Mach 20 and sustain heavy g-forces.

Source: INTERESTING ENGINEERING

Mattel Partners With OpenAI to Test Sora 2 AI Video Model

Toymaker Mattel is partnering with OpenAI to test the ChatGPT maker's artificial-intelligence video model Sora 2. OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman announced this collaboration at the company's Developer Day conference on Monday.

Credit: OpenAI

Mr. Altman stated that Mattel has been a strong partner, working with OpenAI to test Sora 2 in the application programming interface (API). The primary goal is to help designers bring product ideas to life more quickly.

According to Altman, a Mattel designer can now begin with a sketch and transform these early concepts into visuals that can be seen, shared, and reacted to. These developments are the latest in a series of announcements for OpenAI.

OpenAI ignited the modern artificial-intelligence boom with the launch of ChatGPT approximately three years ago. Chief Executive Officer Altman's ambitions are described as bold and expensive, even by Silicon Valley standards.

Credit: OpenAI / Mattel

These ambitious plans have generated some concern among technology investors regarding whether investments in artificial intelligence constitute a market bubble.

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• Mattel is collaborating with OpenAI to test the Sora 2 AI video model.

• The partnership aims to accelerate Mattel designers' ability to visualise product ideas from initial sketches.

• OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman made the announcement on Monday.

Source: REUTERS