Three years after returning to Intel as its CEO, Pat Gelsinger launched Intel Foundry as a “systems foundry business for the AI era.”
In a press event in San Jose, Gelsinger set a target to become the No.2 foundry globally by the end of the decade. The idea of a “systems foundry” versus a traditional foundry is that a systems foundry approach offers full-stack optimization from the factory network to software.
Gelsinger also unveiled an expanded process roadmap for Intel Foundry. He highlighted an expanding ecosystem of partners, and confirmed that Microsoft will be a lead customer on the Intel 18A process. As a measure of progress, Intel Foundry’s expected lifetime deal value is now greater than $15 billion. It will have to reach the $100 billion by the end of the decade for a chance to displace the industry’s current No.2 fab - Samsung.
Speaking via an online video link, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo called for long-term investments to rebuild America’s manufacturing. Chips Act grants for Intel Foundry’s expansions in Arizona, New Mexico and Ohio are expected, but still pending.
“AI is profoundly transforming the world and how we think about technology and the silicon that powers it,” said Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger. “This is creating an unprecedented opportunity for the world’s most innovative chip designers and for Intel Foundry, the world’s first systems foundry for the AI era. Together, we can create new markets and revolutionize how the world uses technology to improve people’s lives.”
Some highlights from the event:
- Intel 14A is the newest and smallest node on the company's updated process roadmap
- Gelsinger affirmed that the five-nodes-in-four-years (5N4Y) process roadmap remains on track and that Intel will regain process leadership with Intel 18A in 2025.
- The new roadmap includes evolutions for Intel 3, Intel 18A and Intel 14A process technologies. It includes Intel 3-T, which is optimized with through-silicon vias for 3D advanced packaging designs and will soon reach manufacturing readiness.
- Intel Foundry is collaborating with Taiwan-based UMC on new 12 nanometer nodes.
- Intel also announced the addition of Intel Foundry FCBGA 2D+ to its suite of ASAT offerings, which already include FCBGA 2D, EMIB, Foveros and Foveros Direct.
- Intellectual property and electronic design automation (EDA) partners Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, Ansys, Lorentz and Keysight disclosed tool qualification and IP readiness to enable foundry customers to accelerate advanced chip designs on Intel 18A, which offers the foundry industry’s first backside power solution.
- Several vendors announced plans to collaborate on assembly technology and design flows for Intel’s embedded multi-die interconnect bridge (EMIB) 2.5D packaging technology. These EDA solutions will ensure faster development and delivery of advanced packaging solutions for foundry customers.
- Intel also unveiled an "Emerging Business Initiative" that showcases a collaboration with Arm to provide cutting-edge foundry services for Arm-based system-on-chips (SoCs).
Stuart Pann, senior vice president of Intel Foundry at Intel said, “We are offering a world-class foundry, delivered from a resilient, more sustainable and secure source of supply, and complemented by unparalleled systems of chips capabilities. Bringing these strengths together gives customers everything they need to engineer and deliver solutions for the most demanding applications.”
