Intel is sampling Panther Lake processor on 18A process

Intel has started to sample Panther Lake, its next generation mobile x86 processor implemented on the company’s own 18A manufacturing process, and is planning to launch the chip in 2H25.

The news was disclosed by Michelle Johnston Holthaus, CEO of the Intel Products in a keynote at the CES event in Las Vegas last week.

The development is significant as it represents a return to close to leading-edge manufacturing by Intel and it is arguable that it is catching up with the technology leader, foundry TSMC.

The current mobile processors Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake make use of TSMC’s nominal 3nm or N3 node for compute tiles within a chiplet component. Panther Lake is making using of the Intel’s own 18A (nominal 1.8nm) manufacturing process.

“Panther Lake, our lead product on 18A will launch in the second half of 2025,” said Holthaus at the end of her keynote speech. “We have systems already running on Panther Lake and we’re sampling it across all our major customers already,” she added.

TSMC began trial production of its 2nm process in July 2024 ahead of expected mass production late in 2025. TSMC’s A16 manufacturing process is not expected to arrive before later 2026 or early 2027.