Intel to disclose tech particulars on forthcoming PC chip, sources say: Reuters

Intel plans to launch technical particulars about its forthcoming chip for laptops, generally known as Panther Lake, on Thursday, 4 sources briefed on the plans advised Reuters. It is a part of an effort to reassure traders about Intel’s first product made solely utilizing its next-generation manufacturing course of known as 18A, the sources mentioned.

The Panther Lake chips are the corporate’s high-end cellular processors which are usually included in costlier laptops and are the primary high-volume Intel merchandise to make use of the 18A course of that the corporate has spent billions growing. In half due to manufacturing stumbles, Intel has steadily ceded laptop computer and PC market share to rival Advanced Micro Devices. Panther Lake represents a possibility to reverse among the losses.

The firm carried out hours of technical briefings and manufacturing unit excursions in Arizona for business analysts final week on the brand new Panther Lake microarchitecture, together with detailed explanations of the graphics and central processor cores and its media engine, in line with the sources. Intel revealed a redesigned AI engine and the corporate’s effectivity and efficiency processor cores, which have been redesigned for the 18A manufacturing course of.

The last-generation laptop computer chip known as Lunar Lake was primarily made by Intel rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing.

Intel executives have mentioned the Panther Lake chips might be obtainable early in 2026, in line with the sources. The new chips use 30% much less power than the prior era, and its graphics and central processors will obtain a 50% increase of their capacity to crunch knowledge in some conditions, in line with a second supply briefed on the chips.

The technical briefings carried out final week for a gaggle of analysts and journalists underscored the significance of Panther Lake’s success to Intel, which has struggled to fabricate the cutting-edge chips.

An Intel spokesperson mentioned the corporate holds technical briefings within the autumn most years on varied subjects however declined to remark additional.

In July, the chipmaker reported a second-quarter loss of $2.9 billion and disclosed that if it didn’t safe a buyer for its deliberate future 14A manufacturing course of, it could droop work on it. After U.S. President Donald Trump known as for the resignation of Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan in August, Intel attracted investments from SoftBank Group and Nvidia.

After Tan met with Trump and different officers within the White House, the administration labored out a deal to rework a CHIPS Act grant into a 9.9% equity stake in the company.

Last week, as a part of the briefings, Intel carried out a tour for reporters and business analysts of its factories in Arizona, together with one known as Fab 52, the folks mentioned. Intel broke floor on Fab 52 in 2021 as a part of former CEO Pat Gelsinger’s multibillion-dollar international growth plan to compete with TSMC within the contract manufacturing enterprise.

Fab 52 homes Intel’s 18A in-house manufacturing course of, which features a new transistor design and a technique of delivering power to the chip extra effectively. The tour aimed to exhibit Intel’s manufacturing prowess and showcase the chip manufacturing unit, or fab, that it’s going to use for high-volume manufacturing of Panther Lake chips. Reuters didn’t attend this tour.

Intel executives didn’t focus on the present Panther Lake yields, or the variety of good chips that Intel is able to producing, in line with the folks. Reuters reported in August that over the summer season the Panther Lake yield was roughly 10%, up from 5% late final 12 months.