Intel has great things to say about its upcoming 18A node, but it’s using some tough-to-verify comparisons. Intel made its claims at the 2025 Symposium on VLSI Technology in Japan, according to PC Gamer. The chipmaker compared its 18A node with the Intel 3 node, which didn’t lead to chips in laptops. So, for now, the performance improvement numbers are just mildly interesting, rather than data with which to make any decisions.

The company’s more interesting claims boil down to this: a chip based on the 18A process can be up to 25% faster. If you stick to the same speed as Intel 3, 18A is 36% more efficient. That sounds intriguing, but the comparison that potential customers will make is not between 18A and Intel 3; it will be between Intel’s 18A and TSMC’s N2, which is the 2-nm class node. Intel’s chief rival in the processor space, AMD, already has TSMC producing its next generation of Epyc data center CPUs on the N2 node.

In any event, we’ll have answers with the arrival of Intel’s upcoming Panther Lake laptop CPUs. Samples of the system-on-a-chip (SoC) made an appearance at Computex this summer, proving that the vaunted 18A node is about ready for production. Intel estimates that it will start production of the chips sometime this year. As for when we’ll see laptops with Panther Lake chips in them? That’s looking more like early 2026, says Intel.

Intel’s 18A node is nearing completion at a crucial time for the company. It is the final node in former CEO Pat Gelsinger’s five-nodes-in-four-years plan, which was meant to revitalize Intel’s fortunes. Gelsinger hoped to develop Intel’s manufacturing capabilities into a successful foundry business, but the journey was slow and saw setbacks. When Intel spun its manufacturing into a foundry business in the spring of 2024, the company revealed that the foundry business was losing billions every year. And profitability wasn’t expected until 2030.

The company kicked off its ambitious plan with the Intel 7, which was followed by the 4 and then the 3 node. At that point, Intel changed its naming convention with the 20A node. The 20A node ended up being scrapped, however, and Intel turned its attention entirely to making 18A, which is the process that will be used to make Panther Lake chips, a success. At this point, 18A has reached risk production and appears well on its way to crossing the finish line. Gelsinger, meanwhile, is no longer with Intel, which has a new leader in CEO Lip-Bu Tan.

By: DocMemory
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