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Intel launches its first client processor family built on the 18A process, signalling a significant step in its manufacturing revival and its ambitions in AI and niche markets, amidst industry scrutiny and competitive pressure.
Intel this week moved to the next phase of its manufacturing comeback with the formal unveiling of Panther Lake, the first client processor family built on its 18A process, and the launch of Core Ultra Series 3 laptop chips that the company says will ship later this year. [1][2]
According to Intel’s announcement, Panther Lake incorporates the company’s new transistor and power-delivery designs enabled by RibbonFET and PowerVia, and the chips will be produced at Fab 52 in Chandler, Arizona as part of a push to strengthen U.S. technology and manufacturing leadership. [2][4]
Intel claims the Core Ultra Series 3 lineup delivers about 60% better performance versus the prior Lunar Lake generation and includes a separate graphics chiplet paired with other mini-chip components to form the complete processor package. The company also previewed refreshed Arrow Lake models and new Arc graphics parts, while flagging AI features as a central theme of its CES presence. [1][3][2]
The product family is being positioned beyond conventional laptops: Intel is planning a handheld gaming platform based on Panther Lake designs later this year, reflecting growing interest in handheld PCs as a niche market for PC-origin silicon. [1][3]
The Panther Lake launch arrives amid scrutiny of Intel’s 18A yields after reporting of production challenges last year; executives told attendees that yields are improving month by month and will not delay shipments. Industry observers note that 18A was optimised primarily for Intel’s internal products, and that the company is pitching its forthcoming 14A node as the more likely attractor of large external foundry customers. [1][6][7][4]
Analysts reacted with cautious optimism: Melius Research upgraded Intel from Hold to Buy and raised its price target to $50, pointing to the forthcoming 14A process and chief executive Lip-Bu Tan’s industry ties as reasons why large customers such as Nvidia or Apple might “take a hard look at producing chips on the 14A node by 2028/2029,” Ben Reitzes wrote in a note. Wall Street consensus remains mixed, with a plurality of analysts at Hold and an average target lower than Melius’s. [1]
The broader context at CES underscored competitive pressure: AMD and Nvidia used the same stage to tout their next-generation AI and accelerator roadmaps, including a multibillion-dollar AI chip engagement announced by AMD and Nvidia describing its next-generation chips as in “full production.” The contrast highlights the challenge Intel faces, proving not only that it can build leading silicon in-house but that it can turn process credibility into external foundry business and sustainable market share gains. [1][5][4]
##Reference Map:
- [1] (CoinCentral) – Paragraph 1, Paragraph 3, Paragraph 4, Paragraph 5, Paragraph 6, Paragraph 7
- [2] (Intel Newsroom) – Paragraph 1, Paragraph 2, Paragraph 3
- [3] (Business Standard) – Paragraph 3, Paragraph 4
- [4] (Forbes) – Paragraph 2, Paragraph 5, Paragraph 7
- [5] (PCWorld) – Paragraph 7
- [6] (GuruFocus) – Paragraph 5
- [7] (Trefis) – Paragraph 5
Source: Fuse Wire Services
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