Intel has provided an update on its Panther Lake and 18A progress, refuting rumors of yield rate and production delay issues, stating that everything is on track.
Intel's Upcoming Panther Lake SoCs Are Right On-Track; 18A Process Is Ready To Tape-Out Externally By H1-2025
Intel and the rumor mill surrounding its foundry division are revolving in full force, given that in the past week, we have seen tremendous developments around 18A and the Panther Lake mobile lineup. Just a few days ago, we reported on how Panther Lake had seen a production delay up to mid-Q4, with consumer products dropping into the market by the next year, which led the market to believe that things aren't looking good with 18A.
However, at the recent Morgan Stanley conference, Intel's Corporate Vice President of Investor Relations, John Pitzer, disclosed that PTL is on track and that the delay rumors are not true. Moreover, yield rates with Panther Lake are said to be better than Meteor Lake at the same point in time, which shows that the company won't have many issues switching towards mass production.
Yes, it is. I mean, I tend to wake up every morning trying to fish through rumors that are coming across on X or on social media about Intel 18A. I want to be very clear. Panther Lake is on track to launch in the second half of this year. That launch date has not changed.
We feel really good about the progress that we are making. In fact, if you look at where our yields are on Panther Lake today, they’re actually slightly ahead at a similar point in time to Meteor Lake.
The reason why PTL is such a big deal for Intel is that it would mark the first in-house product to feature the 18A process, and given that the semiconductor's performance will dictate the future of the Intel Foundry, the industry has its sight towards Panther Lake and the consumer interest towards it. Speaking on the PTL launch timeline, Pitzer claimed that the lineup is on track for launch by H2; however, peak volume production is expected to occur in 2026, which is similar to what happened with Lunar Lake and Meteor Lake.
Now I’ll remind you that we will launch Panther Lake in the second half of this year [...].And as we’ve said on Panther Lake, we launched in the second half of this year, but it’s really not until next year that we get to that volumes [...].
Now that uncertainty around Panther Lake is over, Pitzer also discussed the progress around 18A, stating that the process is set to compete with TSMC's N2 class products, especially with the SRAM density figures Team Blue has managed to achieve. Moreover, customer samples are now expected to be shipped out in H2, which means that Intel has achieved yield rates sufficient to proceed with mass production soon.
With Intel clarifying the status of 18A and Panther Lake, it is safe to say that everything looks right according to schedule. It is essential for the IFS to nail the launch of their next process, and given the political influence Intel sees right now, Team Blue has a slim chance when it comes to messing up future product releases.
