Intel Exec Outlines Foundry Turnaround, Process Roadmap

Lip-Bu Tan discusses 18A yield gains, 14A focus, and challenges in AI infrastructure

Published on Feb. 3, 2026

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Intel board member and executive Lip-Bu Tan provided a wide-ranging update on the company's efforts to turn around its foundry business and advance its process technology roadmap. Tan discussed progress on improving 18A node yields, the focus on 14A as the most advanced node, and the need to address bottlenecks in areas like memory, thermals, and interconnect to support growing AI workloads. He also touched on open source, research challenges, and advice for enterprise leaders adopting AI.

Why it matters

Intel's foundry ambitions and process technology development are critical to the company's competitiveness and the broader semiconductor industry. Tan's insights shed light on the complex challenges Intel faces in balancing its product roadmap with building a thriving foundry business, as well as the technical hurdles the industry must overcome to enable the next generation of AI and computing applications.

The details

Tan outlined Intel's efforts to turn around its foundry business, including driving rapid yield improvements on the 18A process node and focusing intently on the 14A node, which is planned for risk production in 2028 and volume production in 2029. He also discussed the need for foundries to provide comprehensive IP, particularly low-power IP for mobile customers, an area he suggested was lacking in the past. Tan said Intel expects to have a '0.5 PDK' available this month to enable customer engagement and volume commitments in the second half of the year.

  • Intel announced its Panther Lake product, which Tan said the company's fabs can 'really count on' producing.
  • Tan said 14A is planned for risk production in 2028 and volume production in 2029.

The players

Lip-Bu Tan

Intel board member and executive who provided the wide-ranging update on the company's foundry business and process technology roadmap.

Intel

A leading global designer and manufacturer of semiconductor products, including processors and chipsets for a wide range of computing applications.

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What they’re saying

“If observers see Intel putting money into glass substrate—calling it an important material—or adding certain capital equipment to scale, it would indicate that 'real customers' have committed and Intel is responding with disciplined investment.”

— Lip-Bu Tan (marketbeat.com)

“Tan argued that progress requires a full-stack approach beyond silicon, including cluster management software. He said Kubernetes is valuable but may not pinpoint root causes in complex clusters, and noted startups are targeting tools to diagnose and manage cluster issues.”

— Lip-Bu Tan (marketbeat.com)

What’s next

Tan said he encourages customers to start by assigning a portion of their most important products—'5%, 10%, 20%, 50%'—to Intel's foundry so the company can earn trust over time.

The takeaway

Intel's foundry turnaround and process technology development efforts are critical to the company's competitiveness and the broader semiconductor industry, but Tan highlighted the complex challenges the company faces in balancing its product roadmap with building a thriving foundry business and overcoming technical hurdles in areas like memory, thermals, and interconnect to enable the next generation of AI and computing applications.