After a gloomy few days for Intel, there's apparently an optimistic development being reported towards Intel's 14A process, that could involve a partnership with the Cupertino giant.
Apple Could Adopt a Dual-Sourcing Strategy With 1.4nm, Involving Both TSMC and Intel
The situation at Intel is uncertain right now, especially regarding the future of the foundry business. Team Blue has clearly stated that they'll abandon the race of cutting-edge nodes if they don't see high external volume with upcoming processes like 18A and 14A. However, according to the GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu, who is known for his information surrounding Apple, it is claimed that the Cupertino giant is currently sampling early versions of 14A PDK to its customers, and in that, both NVIDIA and Apple seems to be interested for now.
The next focus Intel 14A process will incorporate second-gen RibbonFET and PowerDirect, marking a technological evolution built upon the foundation of the PowerVia introduced in Intel’s 18A. Targeting both AI and edge applications, Intel has already provided early versions of the 14A PDK to key customers, with several expressing interest in producing test chips. We anticipate NVIDIA’s gaming GPU (low-end version) and Apple’s M series to emerge as adopters of Intel14A.
It is important to take this rumor with a grain of salt since things tend to change pretty quickly with Intel. Now, Apple's potential adoption of 14A could prove to be a massive breakthrough for Team Blue, considering that it could open up an entirely new frontier. The chip supply chain is entirely dominated by TSMC for now, which means that Big Tech has no other choice right now, and they will ultimately be forced to comply with the demands of the Taiwan giant, whether it includes node pricing or production capacity.
This is the only narrative through which it makes sense for Apple to resort to Intel's 14A process. TSMC is expected to bring its own A14 technology to the market by 2028, similar to when Team Blue will enter with its solution. So, the Cupertino giant, who has been a key customer of TSMC, might decide to diversify its supply chain to integrate Intel's 14A process, but this would only happen if Intel comes up with a capable solution, and robust supply chain, which could take a lot more than just technical expertise.
For NVIDIA, well, the company has been rumored for several months to be working with Intel Foundry, mainly because the AI hype is too big to rely on a single chip fab. However, no breakthrough has been revealed yet, so we could only wait and watch how the situation evolves.
News Source: 9to5mac
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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