Intel Processors Via TSMC Could Start Second Half of 2021

Intel processors could come from the factories of contract manufacturers sooner than the latest reports suggested. According to research by market researchers, there are already quite specific schedules for placing orders with TSMC.

As the analysts at TrendForce have learned from their sources in the industry, it can be expected that production at the Taiwanese OEM manufacturer will start in the second half of this year. Then the Core i3 processors should first roll off the assembly line in large numbers. According to reports, the chips will then be manufactured on the 5-nanometer TSMC lines.

With this, Intel should already be able to cover an important part of its mass production of higher quality processors. At the top, nothing will change for the time being. Only one year later – in the second half of 2022 – will it continue with the middle and premium class processors of the Core series, which Intel wants to have manufactured on the 3-nanometer processes.

Apple comes first

Certainly, Intel would have preferred to be able to use the most advanced production lines at TSMC earlier. However, these are of course reserved for other important customers who have been placing lucrative orders with the company for a long time and also making contributions to the expansion of process technology. This is primarily Apple here.

The computer company’s new M1 processors are produced on the latest 5-nanometer lines. When TSMC puts the first 3-nanometer systems into operation, one can assume that the capacities will first be made available for Apple. You could almost say that Intel, as the previous CPU supplier for Apple, will then need at least smaller quantities. However, the group will also have to compete with its competitor AMD on the TSMC production lines.