Intel Kicks Off Mass Production of Intel 4 Node Chips: A Quantum Leap in Computing Power

Starting in September, Intel had started producing its Intel 4 node in large quantities using cutting-edge extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) in Ireland. At 12:45 PM Irish Standard Time, it had a ceremony at its Fab 34 facility close to Leixlip, Ireland. Pat Gelsinger, the CEO of Intel, was present.

The wafers and dies it produces will go into forthcoming Meteor Lake processors, even if it is not the first plant to start producing Intel 4 (it is currently underway at its D1 fab in Oregon). The compute tiles of Meteor Lake CPUs, which feature P-cores (Redwood Cove) and E-cores (Crestmont), are made specifically using Intel 4.

Intel 4

The release of Intel 4 is significant. According to Intel’s predictions, it will allow an increase in clock speed of more than 20% while maintaining the same power budget as Intel 7. This is a crucial number for laptop use scenarios. While improved performance is excellent, battery life is equally as crucial. Of course, with more dies per wafer and smaller dies, Intel can attain greater yields.

The first of these nodes, Intel 7, which is present in the 12th Gen Alder Lake, 13th Gen Raptor Lake, and future 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs, is a crucial pillar of Intel’s aggressive process strategy. The production of Intel 4 is almost complete. Intel 3, a more advanced version of Intel 4, will come after it. The following desktop chips we’ll see, called Arrow Lake, will be produced using the 20A process. It’s likely that they will take off sometime in the second half of 2024. At this stage, Intel anticipates achieving process parity, if not leadership, over its semiconductor competitors. Then there is 18A, which will start production in the latter half of 2024.