After a change in leadership at Intel, they’ve been busy upping their game and want to show everyone they mean business. They’re so serious that they’ve announced a investment of $20 billion in two Arizona factories, and plans to produce 7nm chips by 2023. AMD and Nvidia … you better watch out!
Taken from Engadget … Intel’s new CEO, Pat Gelsinger, isn’t wasting any time in ramping up the company’s engineering capabilities. In a press conference today, he announced the company’s “IDM 2.0” strategy, which kicks off with a $20 billion investment in two Arizona fabrication plants. That’ll make Intel a stronger force in the chipmaking business, both when it comes to making its own hardware, as well as chips for partners. Additionally, Gelsinger revealed that the company’s first 7nm chip, the long-delayed Meteor Lake, will have its design finalized in the second quarter of this year. We won’t see that CPU ship until 2023, however, a year later than the company previously suggested.
“Intel is the only company with the depth and breadth of software, silicon and platforms, packaging, and process with at-scale manufacturing customers can depend on for their next-generation innovations,” Gelsinger said in a blog post. “IDM 2.0 is an elegant strategy that only Intel can deliver – and it’s a winning formula.”
Gelsinger kicked off his presentation by acknowledging Intel’s struggles with producing 7nm chips, something he attributed to delays that began with its 10nm architecture shift. Moving forward, he says Intel plans to use extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) in a redesigned production process. But while the company is investing more in its own fabrication plants, it’ll still need some help from third-party foundries to build its 7nm chips, Meteor Lake and Granite Rapids for datacenters. Think of it like a stopgap solution: Intel can’t push production too much until its new facilities are ready, so it’s enlisting a bit of help.
Source: Engadget
