Intel's 18A node is often called Intel's "silver lining," but it did deliver real results. From a LinkedIn post by Intel engineering manager Pankaj Marria, we learned that Intel's 18A node is now in volume production for Intel's customers to test and evaluate.
This means that Intel's 18A node PDK has officially entered version 1.0, and customers have begun using this PDK to test customized chips. "The Eagle has landed," the post reads, marking node development as a major milestone for the node being developed and manufactured in the United States, and potential customers are pleased with the initial test runs. With high-volume production coming in the second half of 2025, we may even see 18AHVM achieved earlier than the original target.
Intel's leadership transition to CEO Chen Liwu overlaps with a realignment of the company's messaging around its foundry business. In internal communications, Chen Liwu clearly positioned Intel's strategy as a dual-track system, that is, maintaining product development and foundry services under unified corporate governance. The stance counters speculation about potential foundry spin-offs but does not explicitly rule out future structural changes.
There have been rumors in the industry that TSMC and major U.S. semiconductor companies including AMD, Broadcom and NVIDIA may form joint ventures to take equity stakes in independent wafer foundry entities. While the arrangement is still theoretically feasible, Chen emphasized the strategic importance of the fabs, which dovetails with predecessor Pat Gelsinger's manufacturing-centric vision and suggests that Intel's foundry and product models will maintain continuity despite market pressures.
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