According to Chosun Biz, Intel Foundry client acquisition efforts for the 18A node have shifted into high gear, with the latest reports indicating that Microsoft has inked a substantial foundry deal based on the 18A process. Talks with Google are also said to be advancing, suggesting that Intel may soon secure a second cloud giant for a customer of its 18A technology. Intel's flagship 18A node, which entered risk production earlier this year, is slated for full-scale volume manufacturing before the end of 2025. Beyond the baseline 18A offering, the company is already developing two enhanced variants: 18A-P, scheduled for rollout in 2026, and 18A-PT, targeted for 2028. Chosun Biz reports that prototype 18A-P wafers have been produced in Intel's domestic fabs, pointing out the foundry's swift pace of new node production.

Intel has even begun sharing early PDKs for its next-generation 14A node with select partners, paving the way for continued scaling beyond the 18A era. Strategically, Intel's extensive US fab footprint, which includes two under-construction fabs in Arizona (a USD 32 billion investment), expanded packaging facilities in New Mexico, a new 300 mm logic plant in Oregon, and two Ohio fabs earmarked for the early 2030s, could prove advantageous amid ongoing tariff uncertainties. Beyond North America, Intel is gearing up Fab 34 in Ireland for mass production of its Intel 4 node and inaugural 3 nm chips later this year. In Israel, Fab 38 is being outfitted for EUV-based, high-performance wafer manufacturing, while an advanced packaging site in Penang, Malaysia, supports global assembly and testing.