Intel's Next Chip Node, 14A, to Boost CPU Speeds With 'Turbo Cells'
As Intel prepares to manufacture chips with its 18A process, the company is previewing its next chip node, 14A, which will feature a mysterious "turbo cell" technology meant to boost CPU and even GPU speeds.
First disclosed a year ago, Intel's 14A process promises to pack even more transistors on the silicon, improving the CPU density. On Tuesday, the company confirmed the 14A process will offer a 15% to 20% performance-per-watt increase over the 18A process.
The 14A process will introduce a new 'turbo cell' technology designed to further increase the chip's speeds, 'including CPU maximum frequency and GPU critical paths,' Intel says.
'Turbo Cells allows designers to optimize a mix of more performant cells and more power-efficient cells within a design block, enabling a tailored balance between power, performance, and area for target applications,' Intel said in a statement, which was first reported by PCWorld.
So far, Intel hasn't elaborated on the turbo cell feature. But the company discussed the 14A process at an Intel foundry event in San Jose as it tries to take on rival TSMC, the major chip maker for AMD, Apple, and Nvidia. Intel's 18A process is its most considerable effort yet to become a major semiconductor manufacturer after investing $90 billion over the last four years to build its foundry business.
In addition to 18A, Intel says it's already talking with customers about using the 14A process. This includes distributing a Process Design Kit, or blueprint files, to help customers develop their chip designs for a specific process node. 'Multiple customers have expressed their intent to build test chips' on 14A, according to Intel.
During Tuesday's event, Intel SVP for foundry services, Kevin O'Buckley, went out of his way to say that Intel is focused on becoming an "AI services company" at a time when AI chip demand has skyrocketed. He then showed a 3D image of what appeared to be an Nvidia-like enterprise-grade GPU packed with high-speed memory. Executives also emphasized that Intel has been listening to customer feedback to make the company's chip technology follow a "predictable 2-year cycle," and easy to plan around.
Intel's roadmap adds that the 14A process will arrive in 2027, alongside a '14A-E' node developed to contain some additional 'feature extensions.' Along with the turbo cell technology, 14A chips will feature Intel's second-generation 'RibbonFET' and backside power delivery system to further boost performance.
In the meantime, Intel plans to use its 18A chip node to develop semiconductors not only for third-party customers but also for its own business. This includes Intel's upcoming 'Panther Lake' laptop-focused CPUs, which are scheduled to arrive in the second half of this year.
The company is also developing another node, called 18A-P, which will arrive next year. Intel says it's been 'designed to deliver enhanced performance to a broader set of foundry customers,' suggesting it can be used for chips outside general CPU computing.
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Nvidia and AMD's ‘special treatment' from Trump is shaking up an already tangled global chip supply chain
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Yahoo
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Trump's unprecedented, potentially unconstitutional deal with Nvidia and AMD, explained: Alexander Hamilton would approve
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'I just don't see how the charges that will be levied in the chip cases could possibly be characterized in that way.' Players have been known to 'game' the different legal treatments of subsidies and taxes, Columbia's Talley added. He cited the example of a government imposing a uniform, across-the-board tax on all producers, but then providing a subsidy to sellers who sell to domestic markets. 'The net effect would be the same as a tax on exports, but indirectly.' He was unaware of this happening in the U.S. but cited several international examples including Argentina, India, and even the EU. One famous example of a canny international tax strategy was Apple's domicile in Ireland, along with so many other multinationals keeping their international profits offshore in affiliates in order to avoid paying U.S. tax, which at the time applied to all worldwide income upon repatriation. 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'A serious question with the chips tax,' Case Western's Jensen told Fortune, 'is who, if anyone, would have standing to challenge the tax?' In other words, it may be unconstitutional, but who's actually going to compel the federal government to obey the constitution? This story was originally featured on Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Insider
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‘Joyride Might Be Over,' Says Top Investor About Nvidia Stock
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