Intel's Vision 2025 Conference Recap

Intel's recent Vision 2025 conference concluded yesterday in Las Vegas, Nevada. Media outlets have been analyzing the numerous announcements made during the two-day event. One significant update from Team Blue leadership is the confirmation that their Core Ultra 300 "Panther Lake" processor series is designed to scale on 18A and is scheduled for production later this year. Presentation materials at the conference also revealed plans for a 2026 launch of "Panther Lake" client chips. The success of this new mobile processor family is closely tied to the progress of Intel's Foundry service, which has reached a milestone with the entry of Intel 18A into risk production. This phase involves stress-testing volume manufacturing before ramping up to high volume production in the second half of 2025.

Under the leadership of Pat Gelsinger, Team Blue embarked on a "five nodes in four years" (5N4Y) journey in mid-2021. This initiative is expected to culminate with the finalization of 18A later this year, under the guidance of newly appointed CEO Lip-Bu Tan. During an Intel Vision 2025 session, Kevin O'Buckley, Senior VP of Foundry Services, explained the concept of risk production and its importance in scaling up manufacturing capabilities. The goal is to transition from producing hundreds of units per day to thousands, tens of thousands, and eventually hundreds of thousands, ensuring that the technology can meet demands at scale. The "5N4Y" strategy emphasizes the need for process nodes to be fully ready for production, rather than being stuck in a pre-high volume manufacturing phase.