Okay, so picture this: Intel Foundry, trying to catch the “iPhone moment” for its 18A process. Weird, right? But tech bigwigs are buzzing around it.
Now, Intel’s been itching for a breakthrough. It’s not just about cash—though, let’s be real, that’s a big part. There’s this whole thing about needing to steal some thunder from TSMC, especially with all the eyes on them in the US after that Trump deal. TSMC’s got this whole Taiwan-vibe, but their new US digs are grabbing eyeballs. And guess what? Intel’s whispering in the ears of NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Google, touting its 18A as a solid rival to TSMC’s N2 process. Fancy that.
So, Intel’s waving the 18A flag at this shin-dig called Direct Connect 2025 — calling it, get this, the “most advanced process made in the US.” Big words. They claim it’s got killer SRAM density and efficiency, making it stand tall over their Intel 3 node. They’re basically saying, “Look, we made something awesome” and customers seem to be into it.
Also, quick side note — there was this image I saw. Kinda random, but it stuck with me like a jigsaw piece tossed into yesterday’s puzzle.
Anyway, shifting gears here, Intel’s got this fresh leadership with Lip-Bu Tan. It feels like he’s shaking things up, focusing on semiconductor design and packaging – basically all the nerdy fun stuff. And this talk about ditching “IDM 2.0”? Sounds like Intel might make waves not just in their fancy process stuff but also with CPUs.
Oh, and speaking of TSMC, their lines are jam-packed right now. So, other players are like, “Hey Intel, what’s up with 18A?” Perfect timing for Intel to step in, right? Samsung Foundry’s lurking around too, but they haven’t quite hit the mark yet.
Weird how these things pan out, huh?
