Intel's Lunar Lake SoCs are categorized as the "savior" for the firm's reputation, but the real focus is on the "Clearwater Forest" Xeon CPUs made with 18A.
Intel Has Huge Hopes With Its Next-Gen 18A Process For Comeback, Set To Feature In Upcoming Architectures Such As Clearwater Forest Xeon CPUs
Intel has been experiencing a rough patch when it comes to adoption from the markets, especially since they have seen setbacks in the foundry department with some of its previous-gen nodes.
However, the IFS has significantly hyped up the quality and expectations surrounding its 18A process. As a follow-up post to its Q2 earnings, Intel heavily emphasized the importance of its next-gen 18A process for the sustainability of the firm. While the Clearwater Forest isn't the only architecture to be based upon the upcoming process, it's surely going to be the more important one.
Intel presented initial images of a Clearwater Forest chip at the Enterprise Tech event in Portland, Oregon, and while we didn't see details about potential specifications and core configuration, from previous information, we are aware that the lineup is set to feature up to 288 cores based on the Darkmont Core architecture, and will be using Foveros Direct and other advanced packaging technologies, making this particular server CPU lineup a gamechanger for Intel and the markets.
Clearwater Forest for server, which also includes Foveros Direct and other key advanced packaging capabilities, is booted and likewise looking very healthy. These are the first of many Intel 18A products on track to bring Intel 18A to the mass market.
Looking to the future, we are excited about the launch of Clearwater Forest, our first Intel 18A server product featuring our industry-leading hybrid bonding. Clearwater Forest has achieved power-on and is on-track to launch in 2025.
Pat Gelsinger - Intel CEO (Q2 Earnings Comments)
Looking at the Clearwater Forest "Xeon" CPU package, we can see a stacked PCB which should be compatible with LGA 7529 sockets. This chip has three compute tiles with 96 E-Cores on each and two IO tiles on the outskirts. The chip feels massive and should be offer disruptive performance in the cloud data center segment.
Given that Intel has completely shifted its focus towards the 18A process, it will certainly prove to be a pivotal moment in the firm's history, given that the IFS has bet everything on its revival.
Not just Clearwater Forest, but Intel plans to release the Panther Lake SoCs based on 18A as well, hence the consumer segment will also leverage on the 18A node, so overall, it's safe to say that Intel still has a lot in stores for its consumers, despite being in a challenging financial position, but in the longer term, the firm is still up and running.
Interestingly, the 18A isn't just exclusive to Intel in terms of adoption, since the firm previously disclosed 15 billion worth of committed deals on the 18A process node with more in the pipeline as many customers, including ARM as well. The adoption rates are going to be massive when compared to previous-gen nodes, which is why the hype around the future of IFS is so high. We expect Clearwater Forest and Panther Lake SoCs to drop into the markets by 2025 for now.
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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