Intel has showcased that its 18A process is ready for SoCs that don't employ the x86 architecture, signaling its intent for a wider customer adoption.
Intel Demos a Reference Non-x86 SoC With 18A Onboard, Opening Up Newer Market Prospects
Well, Team Blue has signaled that the 18A process is indeed an 'industry-wide' product poised for external adoption. Intel initially plans to test the node with products like Panther Lake, and its success will determine whether the firm will see customer adoption. However, Intel Foundry has now showcased a non-x86 chip being run in a live demo that utilizes the 18A process, and while it hasn't specified the particular IP technology used in the test, this certainly indicates that the division wants to evolve as a world-class contract manufacturer.
In the demo, a reference SoC was showcased running live on different workloads such as 3D gaming, animation, and 4K video streaming. The chip employed seven CPU cores in performance, optimized, and efficiency classes, with a PCIe and controller IP from other sources. The demo is a statement that the 18A chip is also intended for ARM and RISC-V ecosystems, with the former architecture being much more important for Team Blue, considering its growing popularity with Apple and Qualcomm platforms.
The 18A chip is generally referred to as an entirely internal product, but the latest demo shows that Intel wants to expand it into other ecosystems. The live workload demo also depicted the core specialization with the cutting-edge node and how 18A can handle diverse, real-world workloads efficiently. Apart from this, Intel's developer tools, notably VTune Profiler, are now optimized to handle non-x86 SoCs as well, with improved CPU utilization.
The key to 18A being a successful node is that it should tap into major fabless companies, and with the node being deployable on non-x86 chips, this opens up the prospect for the chip's integration into Apple's M-series, Qualcomm's Snapdragon lineup, and even NVIDIA's Grace CPU lineup. More importantly, this also showcased that 18A is ready to compete with TSMC N2, not just in the x86 segment, but in a much broader market.
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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