As exciting as the Intel Xeon 6 6700E Sierra Forest 144-core launch has been, there are a few more big milestones coming for Intel. In this generation, we have the Sierra Forest-AP part with up to 288 cores. These are mostly the proving grounds for E-core only server CPUs and the big volume expectations are with Clearwater Forest. That is a new chip that also uses a new 18A process node, one that Intel has been striving to bring to market for the last several years. Now, we have the first signs that these 18A chips are booting.
Intel 18A Booted
Intel says that it hit a big Intel 18A milestone, with the Intel 18A PDK (Process Design Kit) 1.0 being released. That PDK will allow EDA and other IP purveyors update their tools and process flows with 18A.
Intel 18A is a big deal since it utilizes RibbonFET gate all around transistors and PowerVia backside power delivery. This is the first process node where it appears as though Intel may not only have closed the gap to TSMC, but might pull ahead as well.
Intel says that its 18A Panther Lake consumer CPU with co-packaged DDR memory is already running at target speeds and is booting into OS. Likewise the Clearwater Forest Xeon part is also booting into OSes. Clearwater Forest will combine RibbonFET, PowerVia, and Foveros Direct 3D and is the lead product for the Intel 3 base dies.
Intel also said that it is expecting its first 18A Intel Foundry customer to tape out in the first half of 2025.
Final Words
This is a big deal for Intel as getting the Intel Foundry business going is going to be a make it or break it moment for the company. Likewise, while we expect Intel to take the server CPU performance crown next month with the 128-core Granite Rapids-AP parts, Clearwater Forest is supposed to be a huge deal for expanding the reach of cloud-native computing.
Also, we are just going to shamelessly plug the video we did with Intel at the Olympics where we saw a Granite Rapids Xeon 6 P-core wafer.
