Intel May Delay Meteor Lake to Late 2023
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As a refresher, Intel’s Meteor Lake structure will function 4 tiles, or chiplets. There’s a GPU, a CPU, SoC, and an I/O tile. It’s been reported that these 4 tiles will probably be made on three totally different nodes. Intel is accountable for the I/O and CPU tiles, which it’s making on Intel 4. The opposite two tiles will probably be dealt with by TSMC. It’ll vogue the GPU tile on its 3nm node, with the SoC being made on N4/N5. Clearly, for this chip to be in manufacturing all 4 tiles need to be able to go on the similar time. Nevertheless, Digitimes experiences that Intel is behind on its CPU/compute tile. That is in keeping with the interpretation by Twitter consumer @retiredengineer. Information of Intel having points straight contradicts Digitimes’ personal reporting from only a few days in the past. Beforehand it stated “Intel insiders” reported the corporate was on monitor with its Intel 4 course of. That execution success would have it start manufacturing later this yr, to ship Meteor Lake in the midst of 2023.
Digitimes now experiences that Meteor Lake has been delayed till the tip of 2023. Because it wants TSMC’s 3nm GPU tile, it’s asking TSMC to push again its manufacturing schedule. CEO Pat Gelsinger will allegedly be visiting TSMC in August to work this out in particular person with TSMC’s high brass. The reporting says Intel has initiated an “emergency correction” to its “platform blueprint.”
Right here’s the place issues get actually attention-grabbing. When Intel and TSMC initially hammered out this huge deal, particular standing was conferred upon Intel. TSMC bestowed upon the corporate the title of “heavenly king” as a buyer standing. As a result of dimension of the order, TSMC then moved heaven and earth to create capability for Intel on its 3nm course of. This concerned making a second 3nm manufacturing line only for Intel’s order. Beforehand, the corporate was planning on turning this space into an R&D middle. Now Intel is asking the corporate to delay manufacturing at that facility. It says its Intel 4 tile isn’t prepared attributable to “market situations” or presumably a technical concern. The article states Intel must eat all the prices related to such a delay.
That is an previous mock up of Meteor Lake. Observe it reveals three tiles whereas the precise chips has 4. It’s doable the I/O tile is 3D stacked on this render. (Picture: Intel)
When you thought that was shocking, this subsequent bit is sort of certainly unattainable. It says fairly than delay, Intel may simply ship its CPU design to TSMC and have the corporate make it. It could use its superior 3nm course of or present 5mm node for the tile. The notion of Intel outsourcing the fabrication of its personal silicon for its core competency can be stunning. It could additionally hit the corporate’s popularity. Intel’s largest aim for the approaching years is to regain engineering supremacy over TSMC. The interpretation says this transfer would trigger Intel to “lose face” however get monetary savings. It could additionally permit Intel time to “catch its breath” and determine its points (our translation there). The Twitter translator states that Intel utilizing TSMC for the CPU tile must be taken with an enormous grain of salt.
This information comes within the wake of a earlier Digitimes report about TSMC’s largest clients asking for delays. It beforehand reported that Apple, AMD, and Nvidia have inquired about pushing again or decreasing orders for 3nm and 5nm wafers. That’s as a result of latest financial state of affairs although, and is expounded to the GPU scarcity ending. The market is all of the sudden flooded with GPUs, which is allegedly inflicting Nvidia to push again its launch schedule for its RTX 40-series GPUs. Within the earlier experiences, the explanations given for delay had been associated to demand drops, not manufacturing points, however the two may add as much as a one-two punch for the foundry trade in 2023.
If this report is true, it could be an enormous hiccup in Intel’s plans, and that’s being charitable. The corporate has launched an aggressive roadmap to take the engineering crown again from TSMC. To try this it has to execute flawlessly over a several-year timeline. It’s planning on advancing 5 nodes in 4 years, in spite of everything. Pushing one again may have a ripple impact on all those who following, together with Intel 3, 20A, and 18A. Nevertheless, we must wait and see the place the chips will fall. It could appear Intel can be higher served pushing Meteor Lake again six months versus utilizing TSMC 3nm for it. Capitulation to its important rival looks like it could be more durable to face up to reputation-wise than no matter injury is completed to Intel’s backside line if it delays manufacturing.
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