Huge gains – Intel details the performance of its 18A tech

Intel plans to showcase the advantages of its 18A tech at the 2025 VLSI Symposium

Intel has confirmed that it will showcase its 18A lithography node at the 2025 VLSI Symposium. As part of a “Technical Tip Sheet” for the event, Intel has already revealed several characteristics of its newest node, including its density, speed, and power benefits.

It has been claimed that Intel’s 18A lithography node can deliver up to 25% more performance than Intel 3 at the same voltage/power levels (1.1V). Alternatively, the same performance levels can be achieved with up to 36% less power at high voltages. At lower voltages (0.75V), performance gains of 18% or power reductions of 38% can be achieved. These results were achieved using Intel’s high-performance (HP) library for their 18A node. A high-density (HD) library is also available.

Intel’s 18A lithopgrapby node is the first to use a Gate-All-Arround (GAA) RibbonFET transistor design. It is also the first node to feature backside power delivery. Clearly, these changes are allowing Intel’s 18A node to greatly outperform its predecessors, especially when it comes to power efficiency. This is great news for Intel, as high-performance silicon results in high-performance processors.

Density-wise, Intel claims to have 0.72x area scaling with their new node. With 18A, Intel’s able to pack more transistors into a given area and achieve higher levels of performance and efficiency using them.

(Intel 18A VS Intel 3)

The success of 18A is vital for Intel’s future

Panther Lake, Intel’s first 18A product, is due to be released this year. This product will be a true test of 18A’s success. If Intel can deliver strong generational performance and efficiency gains, Intel will prove that it has what it takes to challenge TSMC as a cutting-edge silicon producer. However, Intel’s foundry ambitions don’t just rely on the success of Intel’s own products. Intel needs 3rd party foundry partners to make its foundries a success.

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