The new technology offers improved performance and power efficiency while maintaining compatibility with existing 18A designs.
Intel has announced that its next-generation 18A-P semiconductor manufacturing technology has entered risk production, marking an important milestone in the company’s efforts to strengthen its foundry business and attract external customers.
The move signals progress in Intel’s roadmap as it works to demonstrate the reliability and readiness of its advanced manufacturing capabilities. By bringing 18A-P into the early production phase, the company aims to reinforce confidence among potential third-party chip designers considering Intel’s fabrication services.
The 18A-P process builds on Intel’s 18A technology and offers notable performance and efficiency gains. According to the company, the new node can deliver up to 9% better performance while maintaining the same power consumption, or reduce power usage by as much as 18% at equivalent performance levels. Intel also highlighted improvements in thermal management and design flexibility.
A key advantage of the technology is its compatibility with existing 18A design rules, allowing customers to reuse intellectual property, design tools and development workflows without significant modifications.
Intel’s renewed focus on its manufacturing business comes under CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who has increasingly positioned the 18A family as a potential offering for external customers. Earlier this year, company executives indicated that the technology could generate value beyond Intel’s internal product portfolio.
The announcement comes as demand for Intel’s central processing units remains strong, particularly from companies building and operating artificial intelligence services. The company reported that customer demand during the first quarter was robust enough to drive sales of processor inventory that had previously been written down.
Reflecting this momentum, Intel projected second-quarter revenue between $13.8 billion and $14.8 billion, exceeding analyst expectations of approximately $13.07 billion.
