75%
Probable
Intel's advanced packaging rumors continue to gain traction in recent days, as a new report reveals that the firm may receive orders from Google for future TPUs.
Intel's EMIB Technology Is Leading to Be a Primary Alternative to TSMC's CoWoS, Attracting the Attention of ASICs
When it comes to advanced packaging services, Intel Foundry has seen significant interest over the past few weeks, particularly since one of the biggest bottlenecks in the US chip supply chain is the lack of domestically available packaging facilities. It is rumored that Big Tech is looking to Intel for services like EMIB and Foveros packaging. According to a new report from TrendForce, Intel might be in line to supply packaging technology for Google's TPU v9, which is expected to arrive in 2027. Moreover, Meta's MTIA AI chip is also rumored to feature Intel's advanced packaging technology onboard.
According to TrendForce, since announcing the launch of its standalone Intel Foundry Services (IFS) unit in 2021, Intel has spent years developing EMIB advanced packaging technology. The company has successfully implemented this technology in its own server CPU platforms, including Sapphire Rapids and Granite Rapids.
As Google plans to implement EMIB in its 2027 TPU v9 and Meta considers it for its MTIA accelerators, EMIB is set to significantly boost IFS's growth. Nonetheless, for the near future, CoWoS will continue to be the primary solution for high-bandwidth products from NVIDIA and AMD.
One of the significant reasons why Intel has managed to see interest in its advanced packaging is that the company is the 'sole provider' for the technology in America for now, and while TSMC is making efforts to shift CoWoS supply to the US, the venture would take quite some time. More importantly, GPU manufacturers like NVIDIA and AMD have taken up a significant portion of TSMC's advanced packaging capacity, which means that for ASICs, the option to go with Intel seems a lot more feasible than placing orders with the Taiwan giant.
While the industry has recently become aware of Intel's EMIB technology due to the spotlight it has garnered, we are aware that Team Blue has been working on advanced packaging for several years now, and it has been an integral part of the firm's data center CPU offerings. Not only this, but Intel's Foveros Direct3D technology is recognized as an industry-leading solution, which is one of the reasons why companies like NVIDIA are also looking to adopt it moving forward.
Of course, as TrendForce notes, TSMC's CoWoS supply isn't expected to be affected at all by Intel's push for external customers; however, it would lead to diversification within the advanced packaging supply chain, ultimately a more optimistic move for the industry in the long run.
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