Up to 7A: Intel is already working on technology for much smaller chip designs

Intel is pushing ahead with the development of its next generation of chip manufacturing. The company is already working on technologies that will not be ready for the market until the next decade and will lead to a further significant reduction in size of designs.

Technology for the 2030s

CEO Lip-Bu Tan confirmed at a JP Morgan technology conference that Intel is already working on the “10A” and “7A” manufacturing processes. In the long term, they will follow the current and upcoming processes 18A and 14A and are expected to use state-of-the-art high-NA-EUV lithography from ASML, reports the US magazine Tom’s Hardware. Tan emphasized that major customers in the semiconductor industry evaluate not only individual products, but also long-term development plans. Anyone who wants to survive as a contract manufacturer must show early on what the technological future will look like. That’s why Intel is already investing in processes today that will only become economically relevant years later.

However, the focus of the work is currently on Intel’s upcoming 14A technology. According to Tan, their development is proceeding according to plan. An early version of the so-called Process Design Kit (PDK), which customers can use to design chips for new production, is already available. A much more sophisticated version is scheduled to be delivered to external partners in October. Several customers have already expressed interest in the new production, but Intel did not name specific names. Mass production of chips based on 14A is currently scheduled for 2029. The so-called risk production is scheduled to start as early as 2028, in which new processes will be tested under real conditions. In terms of time, Intel is roughly on a par with its Taiwanese competitor TSMC, which also wants to bring comparable technology into series production by the end of the decade.

High NA EUV will be a big change

However, the approaches of both companies differ. With 14A, Intel relies, among other things, on a rear power supply for the chips, which is said to offer advantages particularly for powerful data center processors. In addition, 14A is one of the first manufacturing processes that can use high-NA EUV systems on an industrial scale. However, the introduction of this new lithography technology is considered extremely complex. In addition to the exposure systems themselves, new photomasks, materials and measurement methods also need to be developed. Intel is therefore working closely with ASML and other partners to make the technology ready for production in a timely manner, explained Tan. ASML boss Christophe Fouquet recently announced that the first test chips with high-NA-EUV will be created in the coming months.