Ngokusho kwemibiko, i-CEO ye-Intel uLip-Bu Tan ucabanga ukuyeka ukukhuthazwa kwenqubo yokukhiqiza yenkampani i-18A (1.8nm) kumakhasimende e-foundry kodwa esikhundleni salokho agxile enqubweni yokukhiqiza yesizukulwane esilandelayo i-14A (1.4nm) ngomzamo wokuthola ama-oda avela kumakhasimende amakhulu njenge-Apple ne-Nvidia. Uma lokhu kushintsha kokugxila kwenzeka, kuzophawula isikhathi sesibili i-Intel yehlisa izinto eziza kuqala kuyo. Ukulungiswa okuhlongozwayo kungaba nemiphumela ebalulekile kwezezimali futhi kushintshe indlela yebhizinisi le-foundry le-Intel, okuholela ngempumelelo inkampani ekuphumeni emakethe ye-foundry eminyakeni ezayo. I-Intel isitshele ukuthi lolu lwazi lusekelwe ekuqageleni kwemakethe. Kodwa-ke, okhulumela inkampani unikeze eminye imininingwane ngenqubo yokuthuthukiswa kwenkampani, esiyifakile ngezansi. "Asiphawuli ngamahemuhemu emakethe kanye nokuqagela," okhulumela i-Intel utshele i-Tom's Hardware. "Njengoba sesishilo ngaphambili, sizibophezele ekuqiniseni imephu yethu yokuthuthukiswa, ukukhonza amakhasimende ethu, kanye nokuthuthukisa isimo sethu sezezimali sesikhathi esizayo."
Selokhu ethathe izintambo ngoMashi, uTan wamemezela uhlelo lokunciphisa izindleko ngo-Ephreli, okulindeleke ukuthi luhilele ukudilizwa emsebenzini kanye nokukhanselwa kwamaphrojekthi athile. Ngokusho kwemibiko yezindaba, ngoJuni, waqala ukwabelana nozakwabo ukuthi ukukhanga kwenqubo ye-18A—eyenzelwe ukukhombisa amakhono okukhiqiza e-Intel—kwakuncipha kumakhasimende angaphandle, okwamenza wakholelwa ukuthi kunengqondo ukuthi inkampani iyeke ukunikeza i-18A kanye nenguqulo yayo ye-18A-P ethuthukisiwe kumakhasimende enkampani esungula izinto.
Esikhundleni salokho, uTan uphakamise ukwaba izinsiza ezengeziwe ukuze kuqedwe futhi kukhuthazwe i-node yesizukulwane esilandelayo senkampani, i-14A, okulindeleke ukuthi ilungele ukukhiqizwa kwengozi ngo-2027 kanye nokukhiqizwa ngobuningi ngo-2028. Njengoba kunikezwe isikhathi se-14A, manje sekuyisikhathi sokuqala ukuyikhuthaza phakathi kwamakhasimende angaba khona e-Intel foundry eqembu lesithathu.
Ubuchwepheshe bokukhiqiza be-Intel be-18A buyi-node yokuqala yenkampani ukusebenzisa ama-transistors ayo esizukulwane sesibili se-RibbonFET gate-all-around (GAA) kanye nenethiwekhi yokulethwa kwamandla e-PowerVia back-side (BSPDN). Ngokuphambene nalokho, i-14A isebenzisa ama-transistors e-RibbonFET kanye nobuchwepheshe be-PowerDirect BSPDN, obuletha amandla ngqo emthonjeni nasekudonseni kwe-transistor ngayinye ngokusebenzisa oxhumana nabo abazinikele, futhi buhlonyiswe ngobuchwepheshe be-Turbo Cells bezindlela ezibalulekile. Ngaphezu kwalokho, i-18A ubuchwepheshe bokuqala obusezingeni eliphezulu be-Intel obuhambisana namathuluzi okuklama avela eceleni kumakhasimende ayo asungula izinto.
Ngokusho kwabangaphakathi, uma i-Intel iyeka ukuthengisa kwangaphandle kwe-18A kanye ne-18A-P, kuzodingeka isuse inani elikhulu ukuze isuse izigidigidi zamaRandi atshalwe ekuthuthukiseni lobu buchwepheshe bokukhiqiza. Kuye ngokuthi izindleko zokuthuthukisa zibalwa kanjani, ukususwa kokugcina kungafinyelela amakhulu ezigidi noma ngisho nezigidigidi zamaRandi.
I-RibbonFET kanye ne-PowerVia zaqale zathuthukiswa nge-20A, kodwa ngo-Agasti odlule, ubuchwepheshe basuswa ukuze imikhiqizo yangaphakathi igxile ku-18A kokubili imikhiqizo yangaphakathi neyangaphandle.
Isizathu ngemuva kokuhamba kwe-Intel singase sibe lula kakhulu: ngokunciphisa inani lamakhasimende angaba khona e-18A, inkampani inganciphisa izindleko zokusebenza. Iningi lemishini edingekayo ye-20A, 18A, kanye ne-14A (ngaphandle kwemishini ye-EUV evulekile kakhulu) isivele isetshenziswa efektri yayo ye-D1D e-Oregon kanye ne-Fab 52 kanye ne-Fab 62 e-Arizona. Kodwa-ke, uma le mishini isisebenza ngokusemthethweni, inkampani kumele ilandise izindleko zayo zokwehla kwenani. Uma ibhekene nama-oda amakhasimende eqembu lesithathu angaqinisekile, ukungasebenzisi le mishini kungavumela i-Intel ukuthi inciphise izindleko. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ngokunganikeli i-18A kanye ne-18A-P kumakhasimende angaphandle, i-Intel ingase yonge izindleko zobunjiniyela ezihlobene nokusekela izifunda zeqembu lesithathu ekuthatheni amasampula, ekukhiqizweni ngobuningi, kanye nasekukhiqizweni kwe-Intel fabs. Ngokusobala, lokhu kumane kuwukuqagela. Kodwa-ke, ngokuyeka ukunikeza amakhasimende angaphandle i-18A kanye ne-18A-P, i-Intel ngeke ikwazi ukukhombisa izinzuzo zama-node ayo okukhiqiza kumakhasimende ahlukahlukene anemiklamo ehlukahlukene, okubashiye nenketho eyodwa kuphela eminyakeni emibili kuya kwemithathu ezayo: ukusebenzisana ne-TSMC nokusebenzisa i-N2, i-N2P, noma i-A16.
Nakuba i-Samsung izoqala ngokusemthethweni ukukhiqizwa kwama-chip ku-node yayo ye-SF2 (eyaziwa nangokuthi i-SF3P) kamuva kulo nyaka, le node kulindeleke ukuthi ihlale ngemuva kwe-Intel's 18A kanye ne-TSMC's N2 kanye ne-A16 ngokwamandla, ukusebenza, kanye nendawo. Empeleni, i-Intel ngeke incintisane ne-TSMC's N2 kanye ne-A16, okungasizi ngalutho ekuzuzeni ukuzethemba kwamakhasimende angaba khona kweminye imikhiqizo ye-Intel (njenge-14A, 3-T/3-E, Intel/UMC 12nm, njll.). Abangaphakathi baveze ukuthi uTan ucele ochwepheshe be-Intel ukuthi balungiselele isiphakamiso sokuxoxisana nebhodi le-Intel ekwindla. Isiphakamiso singase sihlanganise ukumisa ukusayinwa kwamakhasimende amasha enqubo ye-18A, kodwa ngenxa yobukhulu nobunzima benkinga, isinqumo sokugcina kungadingeka silinde kuze kube yilapho ibhodi lihlangana futhi kamuva kulo nyaka.
Kubikwa ukuthi i-Intel ngokwayo yenqabile ukuxoxa ngezimo ezicatshangelwayo kodwa yaqinisekisa ukuthi amakhasimende ayinhloko e-18A kube yizigaba zayo zemikhiqizo, ezihlela ukusebenzisa ubuchwepheshe ukukhiqiza i-CPU yelaptop yePanther Lake kusukela ngo-2025. Ekugcineni, imikhiqizo efana neClearwater Forest, iDiamond Rapids, kanye neJaguar Shores izosebenzisa i-18A kanye ne-18A-P.
Isidingo Esilinganiselwe? Imizamo ye-Intel yokuheha amakhasimende amakhulu angaphandle embonini yayo ibalulekile ekuguqukeni kwayo, njengoba inani elikhulu kuphela elizovumela inkampani ukuthi ibuyise izindleko zezigidigidi ezichithwe ekuthuthukiseni ubuchwepheshe bayo bezinqubo. Kodwa-ke, ngaphandle kwe-Intel uqobo, yi-Amazon, i-Microsoft, kanye noMnyango Wezokuvikela wase-US kuphela abaqinisekisile ngokusemthethweni izinhlelo zokusebenzisa i-18A. Imibiko ikhombisa ukuthi i-Broadcom ne-Nvidia nazo zihlola ubuchwepheshe bezinqubo zakamuva ze-Intel, kodwa azikabophezeli ukubusebenzisa emikhiqizweni yangempela. Uma kuqhathaniswa ne-N2 ye-TSMC, i-18A ye-Intel inenzuzo ebalulekile: isekela ukulethwa kwamandla ngemuva, okuwusizo kakhulu kuma-processor anamandla aphezulu ahloselwe izinhlelo zokusebenza ze-AI ne-HPC. Iprosesa ye-A16 ye-TSMC, efakwe isitimela samandla amakhulu (i-SPR), kulindeleke ukuthi ingene ekukhiqizweni okukhulu ekupheleni kuka-2026, okusho ukuthi i-18A izoqhubeka nenzuzo yayo yokulethwa kwamandla ngemuva kwe-Amazon, i-Microsoft, kanye namanye amakhasimende angaba khona isikhathi esithile. Kodwa-ke, i-N2 kulindeleke ukuthi inikeze ukuminyana okuphezulu kwe-transistor, okuzuzisa iningi elikhulu lemiklamo ye-chip. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ngenkathi i-Intel ibilokhu isebenzisa ama-chips e-Panther Lake ku-D1D fab yayo izinkathi eziningana (ngakho-ke, i-Intel isasebenzisa i-18A ekukhiqizeni okuyingozi), i-Fab 52 yayo enomthamo ophezulu kanye ne-Fab 62 yaqala ukusebenzisa ama-chips okuhlola e-18A ngoMashi walo nyaka, okusho ukuthi ngeke iqale ukukhiqiza ama-chips ezentengiselwano kuze kube sekupheleni kuka-2025, noma ngokunembile, ekuqaleni kuka-2025. Vele, amakhasimende angaphandle e-Intel anesifiso sokukhiqiza imiklamo yawo emafektri anomthamo omkhulu e-Arizona kunokuba athuthukise imiklamo e-Oregon.
Ngamafuphi, i-CEO ye-Intel uLip-Bu Tan ucabanga ukumisa ukukhuthazwa kwenqubo yokukhiqiza yenkampani i-18A kumakhasimende angaphandle esikhundleni salokho agxile ku-node yokukhiqiza yesizukulwane esilandelayo i-14A, ehlose ukuheha amakhasimende amakhulu njenge-Apple ne-Nvidia. Lesi sinyathelo singabangela ukuwohloka okukhulu, njengoba i-Intel itshale izigidigidi ekuthuthukiseni ubuchwepheshe benqubo ye-18A kanye ne-18A-P. Ukushintsha ukugxila enqubweni ye-14A kungasiza ekunciphiseni izindleko nokulungiselela kangcono amakhasimende eqembu lesithathu, kodwa futhi kunganciphisa ukuzethemba emandleni e-Intel okukhiqiza ngaphambi kokuba inqubo ye-14A iqale ukukhiqizwa ngo-2027-2028. Ngenkathi i-node ye-18A isabalulekile emikhiqizweni ye-Intel (njenge-Panther Lake CPU), isidingo esilinganiselwe seqembu lesithathu (kuze kube manje, yi-Amazon, i-Microsoft, kanye noMnyango Wezokuvikela wase-US kuphela abaqinisekisile izinhlelo zokuyisebenzisa) kuphakamisa ukukhathazeka mayelana nokusebenza kwayo. Lesi sinqumo esingaba khona sisho ukuthi i-Intel ingaphuma emakethe ebanzi yokukhiqiza ngaphambi kokuba inqubo ye-14A iqalwe. Ngisho noma i-Intel ekugcineni ikhetha ukususa inqubo ye-18A ezinhlinzekweni zayo zokwenziwa kwemikhiqizo ehlukahlukene kanye namakhasimende, inkampani izosebenzisa inqubo ye-18A ukukhiqiza ama-chip emikhiqizo yayo esevele yakhelwe leyo nqubo. I-Intel ihlose futhi ukugcwalisa ama-oda ayo anqunyelwe, okuhlanganisa nokuhlinzeka ngama-chip kumakhasimende ashiwo ngenhla.
Isikhathi sokuthunyelwe: Julayi-21-2025