Intel's "now ousted" CEO Pat Gelsinger has arrived on the scene, defending Intel Foundry's 18A "yield rate" claims by saying that the team is "doing incredible work."
Intel's Former CEO Pat Gelsinger Shows Optimism Towards The 18A Process, Claiming It To Be "Incredible"
For those unaware, Intel is involved in many controversies nowadays, especially regarding the firm's business. Initially, Team Blue was struck with a wave of financial issues, and following that, the company's former CEO, Pat Gelsinger, decided to step down from his position amid pressure from the board of directors. Recently, Intel's 18A process, which was supposed to be a breakthrough for the division, was said to feature yield rates of less than 10%, with the media calling this "abysmal." However, Gelsinger has stepped up to defend 18A, claiming that yield rate rumors are false.
thank you Pat for helping to set the record straight. I'm so very proud of the TD/18A team for the incredible work and progress they are making.
— Pat Gelsinger (@PGelsinger) December 7, 2024
Gelsinger replied to a post by a prominent analyst, Patrick Moorhead, where it was initially claimed that Intel's 18A wasn't tested on a PDK 1.0 but rather an older design kit, which is why the yield rate figures are reported so low. A bit of a background context: Broadcom was apparently said to have tested Intel's 18A process, only to be disappointed by it, with the media claiming that the primary issue occurred in yield rates. This has not only proved to be a massive concern for the large die will have a lower yield, and a smaller die will have an IFS, but a mere 10% yield rate means that Team Blue can't proceed with high-volume production yet.
Interestingly, former and "ousted" Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger decided to jump into the conversation by verifying Moorhead's claims, saying that he is proud of the "18A team" and their incredible progress, hinting that the on-ground reality is different from what is being said in the mainstream media. In another reply to the prominent analyst Dan Nystedt, Gelsinger claims that factoring a process based on yield rate isn't right since a "large die will have a lower yield, smaller die - high yield percentage."
speaking about yield as a % isn't appropriate. large die will have lower yield, smaller die - high yield percentage. Anyone using % yield as a metric for semiconductor health without defining die size, doesn't understand semiconductor yield. yields are represented as defect…
— Pat Gelsinger (@PGelsinger) December 7, 2024
Either Gelsinger was defending the low "18A yields," or he was guiding the semiconductor markets on something quite interesting, although we won't say much about the statement in itself. Regardless, Gelsinger was a huge advocate for Intel Foundry, claiming to make the division the "world's largest" by 2030, only to find himself forced out of the company the previous week.
Intel is currently in a "mudpit" and escaping out of the situation will require desperate measures, one which have already been taken. We expect Intel to adopt an aggressive strategy moving into the future, likely adopting a "division restructuring" policy which may result in the potential sell-off of the IFS.
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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