Latest news with #DirectConnect
Mint
a day ago
- Mint
How next-gen semiconductor chips will supercharge gadgets
In the world of technology, progress is often invisible to the average user of smartphones, laptops, smartwatches and all the gadgets that power our daily lives—until it suddenly changes everything. While our everyday gadgets constantly evolve with sleeker designs and better features, their true power lies within something far smaller: the semiconductor chips that drive them. These semiconductors are on the verge of a monumental transformation—not incremental improvements but fundamental shifts that will transform consumer tech as we know it. From nanometers to angstroms, and from simple transistors to 'Turbo Cells" and chiplets, next-gen innovations are poised to deliver smarter, faster, and more energy-efficient gadgets with faster processing, smarter devices, better battery life, and even more immersive entertainment. At Intel Foundry's recent Direct Connect summit, the company, which aims to rival Taiwan's TSMC, the global leader in chip manufacturing, as well as Samsung Foundry, offered a roadmap for ultra-advanced chips set for 2027. TSMC and Samsung are on similar trajectories as far as semiconductor innovation is concerned, and these changes are poised to translate into significantly faster, more power-efficient, and profoundly smarter consumer devices. From nanometers to angstroms For many years, advancements in chip technology have been described using nanometers—a unit representing one billionth of a metre. This measurement typically refers to the size of the infinitesimal switches on chips, known as transistors. The industry is now transitioning to the 'Angstrom" (Å) scale, an even smaller unit of measurement where 10 Angstroms equal 1 nanometer—that's what the 'A' in Intel's '14A node' or TSMC's upcoming A14 process stands for, by the way. This extreme miniaturization is not just an academic achievement. Packing more transistors onto a chip translates to a significant boost in raw processing power. For the consumer, this means a smartphone that launches applications almost instantaneously, a laptop that handles complex video editing software without stuttering, and a gaming console capable of rendering breathtakingly realistic graphics. Also read: How to share your Kindle e-books with a reading buddy When Microsoft launched its 11th edition Surface Pro last year, dubbed as a Copilot+ PC, the marquee highlight was its AI-powered experiences to augment creativity and productivity—but in a sleek 2-in-1 form factor with a battery life unimaginable with previous generation devices. The Angstrom Era signifies a critical inflection point. The innovation though doesn't stop at simply making transistors smaller; it extends to fundamentally redesigning them to work more efficiently. This pursuit of making smaller, faster, and more efficient chips by several companies is pushing semiconductor technology into uncharted territory. Beyond Moore's Law Moore's law is the observation that the number of transistors in a microchip doubles about every two years, fuelling exponential gains in computing performance. But today, physical and economic constraints have shifted the focus from pure miniaturization to innovations in architecture and design that optimize performance in new, creative ways. One of the critical areas of innovation is advanced packaging—It is less about making individual silicon components smaller and more about ingeniously assembling them. Techniques such as using chiplets (small, specialized dies that perform distinct functions) and 3D stacking (layering multiple chips or components vertically and interconnecting them) are enabling manufacturers to combine different functionalities more efficiently and powerfully. For consumers, these sophisticated packaging techniques translate into more powerful and feature-rich devices in sleeker, more compact form factors, improved overall performance and power efficiency, and potentially faster innovation cycles for certain device features. For example, the latest Intel Arrow Lake processor that powers several new AI PCs in the market offer a massive leap in graphic and on-device AI performance with better power efficiency. According to Ben Bajarin, an industry analyst and CEO of research firm Creative Strategies, going forward, design will need to trump physics. 'The semiconductor industry is entering a new phase, one defined not by squeezing more transistors onto a single monolithic die, but by how intelligently we compose systems from smaller, specialized components," he explains. For example, Intel has introduced Turbo Cells in its 14A technology. Think of these as special high-performance building blocks that can be integrated in a chip alongside standard power-efficient cells. The Turbo Cells can enable a burst of performance for computationally intensive tasks like gaming or AI processing, while other parts of the chip sip power frugally for background operations or less demanding tasks. A smarter, faster future The evolution of semiconductor technology, now venturing into the Angstrom scale, embracing novel transistor architectures and sophisticated packaging methods, is far more than just an engineering marvel. It is the fundamental bedrock upon which the next generation of consumer experiences will be constructed. These are a few ways in which you will feel the difference: Smartphones that intuitively understand user needs and operate for extended periods on a single charge; automobiles that navigate complex environments with greater intelligence and safety; AI systems that integrate into daily life with enhanced privacy and responsiveness. You will also experience faster processing, smarter devices, better battery life, and even more immersive entertainment. For semiconductor companies, Bajarin says, this is no longer a conversation about catching up in traditional chips. 'It's about enabling next-generation AI, HPC (high-performance computing), and hyperscale systems where silicon composition, not just transistor count, defines competitiveness." Key takeaways: How all this will impact your devices Next-generation semiconductor breakthroughs aren't just for techies—they'll transform the gadgets you use every day. Here's how: BATTERY LIFE Smarter power management and ultra-efficient transistors mean your devices will last significantly longer between charges PERFORMANCE From app launches to video editing, devices will feel more responsive thanks to faster and smarter processing GRAPHICS/ ENTERTAINMENT Gaming consoles and AR/VR gear will deliver more immersive visuals with reduced lag and stunning realism AI FEATURES Your PC or phone will handle advanced AI tasks—like image generation, summarizing notes, or voice assistance—directly on the device, faster and more privately. DESIGN Smaller, more powerful chips mean thinner, lighter devices without sacrificing performance or battery life Also read: Redmi Watch Move review: Stands out in a sea of budget smartwatches Abhishek Baxi is a New Delhi-based tech writer. He was invited to attend the Intel Foundry Direct Summit in San Jose, USA by Intel India.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Intel reaffirms commitment to division behind its New Albany plant
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio was far from a highlight in Intel's 2025 Foundry conference, but the project was included in Intel's commitments to a strong Foundry. Despite buyout rumors, Intel leadership reaffirmed their commitment to Intel Foundry last week at Intel Foundry Direct Connect. The second annual conference brought together more than 1,000 customers and partners of Intel Foundry, the division responsible for the $28 billion Ohio One plant, the largest private investment in state history, under construction in New Albany. It was the first Foundry-specific event under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who has spoken little about Intel Foundry during his tenure thus far. 'I'm committed to make the Intel Foundry successful,' Tan said at Direct Connect. May 2025 primary election results for central Ohio Tan mentioned Ohio's plant as a continued building project, and spoke encouragingly of new factory space. Tan also said advanced packaging may eventually be possible in Ohio and is already underway elsewhere in the U.S. However, Ohio largely took a back seat in the keynote speeches, with Intel leaders selecting other factories to showcase. Intel Foundry shared new updates on products and developments that are set to take off this year. These announcements have little to do with Ohio's plant as is, but if the products are well received, increased manufacturing demands could be encouraging for Ohio's development. Intel leaders also thanked President Donald Trump, saying the U.S. government is a key customer. Tan said he was pleased Trump shares the goal of semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. However, none of the keynote speakers mentioned the CHIPS Act, the $7.8 billion federal commitment to Intel Foundry that still largely needs to be paid out. The bipartisan CHIPS Act was propelled forward by former President Joe Biden, and Trump has called for its repeal several times. Intel has received $2.2 billion of its promised funding, with the last payment coming in January in the last days of Biden's White House. See previous coverage of the CHIPS Act in the video player above. School Choice Ohio celebrates 20 years, addresses voucher concerns The company announced its new Intel Foundry Chiplet Alliance, which will emphasize collaboration to improve Intel's Foundry division. Under the alliance, different technology companies will collaborate to improve designs using shared innovations. Including Intel, there are at least 15 confirmed alliance members, 11 of which are American companies, although none are headquartered in Ohio. The alliance also includes two companies headquartered in Taiwan, and one each in England and France.
Irish Times
04-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
One in five Irish households are millionaires
One in five Irish households are millionaires on the back of rocketing property prices, The Business Post reports. An analysis by wealth managers, Fordel, calculates that Irish household wealth was €1.3 trillion, or €663,630 on average, last year. That was almost double the €716 billion recorded at the peak of the property bubble in 2007. Fordel's report, written by Caoimhe Lane, investment analyst and Oliver Mooney, chief investment officer, says Irish household wealth now ranks second to Luxembourg in Europe. They say households benefit from technology, pharmaceutical, financial services and aircraft leasing firms locating here. READ MORE Legal merger a big shake-up Solicitors' William Fry's merger with rivals Eversheds Sutherland will be one of the biggest shake-ups in the Irish legal market for years, according to The Sunday Business Post. In an interview, William Fry's managing partner, Stephen Keogh, says that should it go ahead, it will boost the number of lawyers in his firm to more than 320 from 216 currently. The deal would also move William Fry to fourth place from sixth in the league table of Irish solicitors' firms. He argues that growth in the Irish legal market is more difficult now than 20 years ago, and the proposed merger could provide a 'huge injection' in both headcount and revenue. US students seek places The number of US students looking to study at Irish universities is soaring as third-level institutions face increased pressure from president Donald Trump's administration, The Sunday Independent says. 'Since Trump came to power in January, interest from US students in on-campus Bachelor's and Master's programmes in Ireland – at locations including Trinity College Dublin – rose by 63pc in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year,' says the newspaper. The figures, from global student search platform, Studyportals, indicate that the Republic is now Europe's sixth biggest market for US students. Intel sees Irish operations as 'critical' Kevin O'Buckley, who leads Intel's foundry business, has said the chipmaker's Irish operations are critical to its future, the Business Post reports. His comments come amid concerns for jobs at the Leixlip operation, with a restructuring under way aimed at turning around the troubled business. Last month the company said it would be reducing its global workforce by 20 per cent. But O'Buckley suggested Irish operations were a key part of the company's plan. 'As customer demand drives us to expand our capacity in [new chip making processes] or further, places like Ireland could be ideal,' O'Buckley said at the company's Direct Connect event, in San Jose, California. 'By far, the most advanced silicon in the EU today, in Europe, is coming from Intel's fabs in Ireland. 'Ireland is an incredibly important facility for us,' he added. Norway to US AI in buying shares Norway's $1.8 trillion oil fund, one of the world's biggest buyers of shares, expects to AI to save it $400 million a year in trading costs, The Financial Times reports. Nicolai Tangen, the sovereign wealth fund's chief executive, tells the newspaper that its trading bill is $2 billion annually, and it hopes that new technology will knock $400 million off that total. The fund, the proceeds of the Scandinavian country's oil and gas reserves, owns 1.5 per cent of every listed company globally on average and executes 46 million individual trades a-year. Its AI programmes predict the fund's buying and selling patterns.
Forbes
30-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Key Takeaways From Intel Foundry Direct Connect 2025
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan On Stage At Direct Connect. Day one of Intel Foundry's Direct Connect event, which is currently underway in San Jose, California, just wrapped and I wanted to share some thoughts. The day was filled with interesting developments from both Intel itself and its diverse array of ecosystem partners. There was a time when no one in the semiconductor industry could build transistors like Intel, but a series of missteps and changes in strategy spread out over the better part of the last decade shifted that paradigm. Now, Intel is attempting to propel its manufacturing processes back into a leadership position, while simultaneously trying to woo fabless semiconductor customers to manufacture their chips in Intel's fabs. To do that, Intel has to establish more trust in the industry and not only prove the competitiveness of its processes, but also that partners can make the chips with familiar and established workflows, consistently and with high reliability. Just about everything I heard today made me believe Intel is on track to do just that. Intel's Dr. Naga Chandrasekaran Holding A Intel 14A Test Wafer. The day began with a keynote address by newly-minted CEO Lip-Bu Tan. Lip-Bu was refreshingly direct and to the point. He outlined a number of Intel Foundry's challenges, and what moves the company was making to address them and chart a successful course for Intel Foundry's future. What I found most assuring during Lip-Bu's time speaking, however, was the parade of partners he brought out on stage and what they had to say. In today's advance semiconductor market, there is no single entity that can be successful on its own – there are simply too many technologies and packaging innovations at play in modern multi-chiplet devices. To that end, Lip-Bu brought out the CEOs of essentially all of the leading EDA tools providers. Sassine Ghazi, Synopsys CEO, At Intel Foundry Direct Connect. Sassine Ghazi of Synopsys, Cadence's Anirudh Devgan, Mike Ellow of Siemens EDA, and PDF/Solutions' John Kibarian came out in succession and all explained how their tools, IP and/or flows have been optimized for Intel's upcoming 18A process and the work is underway for future nodes, like 18A-P, 14A and its derivatives (among others). This strong commitment from Intel's ecosystem partners should carry a lot of weight; the overwhelming majority of fabless semiconductor players will be familiar with these tools, which should facilitate transitions to Intel Foundry's manufacturing processes. All of the EDA providers also voiced their impressions of Intel 18A, which were universally positive. In fact, the scuttlebutt amongst industry insiders has been mostly positive regarding 18A for quite a while. Multiple conversations I've had with trusted folks from the automotive, mobile, and processor industries have all suggested Intel 18A is a highly competitive process. That said, there weren't any new customer announcements today. I suspect there will be more coming soon, however, once Intel Foundry begins talking more about Intel 18A-P, which is a higher performance derivative of 18A that's better suited to a wider array of applications. 18A is already a competitive process and Intel will be shipping its next-generation Panther Lake-based processors built on 18A in volume later this year, but 18A-P addresses some technical issues that should make it a better fit for a more diverse array of architectures. Cadence President & CEO Anirudh Devgan At Direct Connect. Anyone scrutinizing and paying close attention to Intel and its moves with Intel Foundry needs to understand some fundamental realities related to 18A. In addition to being a leading-edge process, with smaller features, it introduces two innovations – Ribbon FETs and PowerVia backside power delivery. It's hard enough to bring a new manufacturing process to market, let alone one with two new key technologies. And to realize the full capabilities of 18A requires chip designers to make specific considerations from the start. To move an existing design or a design that was already in-flight that was originally slated for an existing process to18A is possible, but it may not benefit from Ribbon FETs and to utilize backside power delivery, can incur additional cost. However, optimizing a design for 18A from the start will offset most of the cost related to backside power delivery by easing density requirements and eliminating the need for some metal layers on the frontside. It will also enable designers to realize the maximum benefits of Ribbon FETs, and optimize power, performance, and area. Of course, chip designs don't happen overnight, so it's going to take some time for Intel Foundry's future customers to navigate these waters and decide if 18A, one of its derivatives, or a future process will be the best fit. Intel 18A Details. As for the processes themselves, Intel made plenty of encouraging claims. 18A has already achieved 95%+ of its targets and the optimization areas have already been identified to tweak the process to hit or exceed 100% of those targets next quarter. Intel 18A should deliver a >15% improvement in performance per watt, with 1.3x improvement in chip density versus Intel 3, with an additional ~8% improvement in perf-per-watt coming with 18A-P, along with support for 3D die stacking. Intel 14A Disclosures. Intel Foundry also disclosed some numbers related to its future 14A process. 14A is looking particularly strong at this early stage; Intel is expecting a 15-20% performance per watt increase versus 18A, with another 1.3x increase in density, and a 25-35% reduction in power. Intel 14A will also make use of High NA EUV and introduce second generation Ribbon FETs and PowerDirect. PowerDirect is an evolution of PowerVia that enables direct contact power delivery. Intel Foundry Process Roadmap There was a lot more disclosed during Intel Foundry Direct Connect, including a number of advancements in packing technology that improve interconnect density and performance, but it's just too much to cram into this report. Suffice it to say, after digesting day one's disclosures, my confidence in Intel's foundry efforts has reached a new high. The innovations, technologies, and tools to enable them appear to be in place. Now it's a matter of bringing in new customers, executing, and getting new products to market. Considering the company's huge investments, and the geopolitical pressures to bring more advanced semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S., I think Intel Foundry can pull this off.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Intel attracts interest for test chips using new manufacturing process
Intel said on Tuesday several of its contract manufacturing customers planned to build test chips for the company's forthcoming advanced manufacturing process that is currently still in development. The embattled chipmaker indicated it had received interest from customers at the company's Direct Connect conference for its contract chip business , or foundry. Intel's attempt to build a foundry unit has hit snags but ultimately the goal has been to rival TSMC . Upon taking the CEO job in March, Lip-Bu Tan vowed to reshape Intel and at his first public remarks asked the company's customers to be "brutally honest" when delivering feedback. As part of his plans to remake Intel, Tan plans to revamp the company's foundry operation. The still-in-development manufacturing process known as 14A had planned to introduce a new type of advanced chipmaking tool known as a high-NA EUV machine. The 14A process also includes a new technology for power delivery. Intel also said on Tuesday the company had distributed an early version of the digital design kit that is necessary to ensure Intel can successfully transform a chip blueprint into a working piece of silicon. Typically chip companies build test chips to evaluate a new manufacturing process ahead of committing to a complete design, which is far more expensive and risky. Broadcom and Nvidia have run tests for Intel's current advanced manufacturing process known as 18A, Reuters reported in March. Intel reiterated it was planning to ramp up the 18A process to high-volume production this year. It plans to initially manufacture chips with 18A at its research and development lab near Hillsboro, Oregon. The company's factories in Arizona will ramp up production this year, Intel said.
