Intel Expands 10nm Manufacturing Capacity

[btarunr]

In response to incredible customer demand, Intel has doubled its combined 14 nm and 10 nm manufacturing capacity over the past few years. To do this, the company found innovative ways to deliver more output within existing capacity through yield improvement projects and significant investments in capacity expansion. This video recounts that journey, which even included re-purposing existing lab and office space for manufacturing.

"Over the last three years, we have doubled our wafer volume capacity, and that was a significant investment. Moving forward, we're not stopping… We are continuing to invest into factory capacity to ensure we can keep up with the growing needs of our customers," says Keyvan Esfarjani, senior vice president and general manager of Manufacturing and Operations at Intel. The company also ramped its new 10 nm process this year. Intel currently manufactures 10 nm products in high volumes at its Oregon and Arizona sites in the U.S. and its site in Israel.



In 2020, Intel introduced an expanding lineup of 10 nm products including 11th Gen Intel Core processors and the Intel Atom P5900, a system-on-chip for wireless base stations. In addition, the company introduced 10 nm SuperFin technology, which enables the largest single intranode enhancement in Intel's history and delivers performance improvements comparable to a full-node transition.

Esfarjani explains: "10 nm progress is coming along quite well. We have three high-volume manufacturing operations that are going full steam ahead to see how we can do more, better and faster, and continue to support our customers."

NOTE: Intel's capacity expansion program has been a multiyear journey. The factory and office footage in this video was captured prior to Covid-19 safety measures. Intel workers currently working on-site observe appropriate social distancing and mask measures in accordance with internal policies and local requirements.

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[keanufan68plus1]

Boy they sure do love their job titles at Intel. An unmistakeable sign of a company filled with people focused on getting the right things done.

 

[Logoffon]

Can't wait to see their 15th gen CPUs manufactured in 10nm Super Duper Hyper Ultra MegaFin process.

 

[micropage7]

it's interesting that the next battlefield is in <14 nm

 

[remixedcat]

Are they afraid of 7?

 

[z1n0x]

Oh look, more PR fluff from Intel.
Where are the next gen processors? And no, that 14 nm abomination known as Rocket Lake doesn't qualify.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

Never write off Intel. They might have fecked up and let AMD take a lead but they will be back with a vengeance i am sure. The advantage they have is their own fabs so more control over quality and quantity than AMD have.

 

[AusWolf]

"The company found innovative ways" to deliver more on its half decade old 14 nm platform. Congrats!

 

[z1n0x]

Never write off Intel. They might have fecked up and let AMD take a lead but they will be back with a vengeance i am sure. The advantage they have is their own fabs so more control over quality and quantity than AMD have.

By the time Intel come back with their advantage and vengeance, we might have moved on to ARM.

 

[Anymal]

Just wait, tsmc will fukc up eventually and Intel will rise again. Then they just need to smith better marketing name: Fygther

 

[z1n0x]

Just wait, tsmc will fukc up eventually and Intel will rise again. Then they just need to smith better marketing name: Fygther

TSMC fucking up with Apple by their side, funding and helping bring up those new nodes, seems unlikely to me.

 

[londiste]

Where are the next gen processors? And no, that 14 nm abomination known as Rocket Lake doesn't qualify.

Tiger Lake?

 

[z1n0x]

Tiger Lake?

Desktop?

 

[Vayra86]

This whole PR piece sounds remarkably similar to what GlobalFoundries was doing some years back. Going hard on their existing technology and on volume... look where they are today. Is Intel relegating itself and perhaps even its market to stagnation? They literally say now they STILL can't let go of their tech from yesteryear. What's on the horizon then?

I mean otherwise yay, cheer, we can still buy Skylake v2 and you're still making it. Thanks, Intel. Oh yeah we can also buy 10nm Skylake V3 on super low clocks, too. Yay x2... What happened to those shiny roadmaps with new stuff?

Never write off Intel. They might have fecked up and let AMD take a lead but they will be back with a vengeance i am sure. The advantage they have is their own fabs so more control over quality and quantity than AMD have.

Not sure, seems like TSMC is doing just fine in quality and in quantity and it doesn't really seem to affect the AMD product stacks in any negative way.

In the end a chip's a chip... Again... look at GF. The reason they can't stay current is because they chose not to. They just moved to a different market, not because they wanted to, but because there is no demand for their node in their old one. I still hope both Intel and GF get a path back to the frontline again... but its clear they're not on it now. And China is also ready, willing and might soon be able to move to smaller nodes too.

Its a bit of a similar struggle as the panel OEMs have for OLED technology. LG won, and is like TSMC right now, building a superior product while everyone else is stacking boxes full of tricks on top of LCD to keep it relevant. They even got VESA to implement an HDR standard for monitors that can't display it proper in the first place with the whole HDR400 etc. spec. Even the HDR1000 ones are horrible because the black point simply is too high for comfortably viewing the new contrast steps. People want better panels, everyone can see LCD has its problems in many ways, even on a VA or IPS. Same thing goes for chips. If you stay on bigger nodes than 7nm, you're going to lose even if product is marketable.

Similarly, its more expensive now to make a top-end full array local dimming LCD, than it is to make an OLED screen of the same spec... so you can't keep that up.

 

[Tom.699]

deliver more output within existing capacity through yield improvement projects and significant investments in capacity expansion

 

[Vayra86]

deliver more output within existing capacity through yield improvement projects and significant investments in capacity expansion

Management OK'd this, go figure. They're headless chickens at this point, drowning in their own nonsense.

 

[_JP_]

Boy they sure do love their job titles at Intel. An unmistakeable sign of a company filled with people focused on getting the right things done.

"We get down to business, when the show(-off) ends, eventually!"

Can't wait to see their 15th gen CPUs manufactured in 10nm Super Duper Hyper Ultra MegaFin process.

They are just going to start adding "+"s again.

Are they afraid of 7?

'Cause seven eight nine. Safe to keep it at ten.

 

[docnorth]

Very positive news, IF true. Mass production ON TIME of 10nm+ server and desktop CPUs will restore competition especially in the DIY market.

 

[londiste]

deliver more output within existing capacity through yield improvement projects and significant investments in capacity expansion

Other than managerspeak, what's here not to understand? Or new, for that matter.
Whatever they have currently - 14nm and 10nm capacity - is at full blast. They are working on improving yields, supposedly for 10nm. They are also investing is new fabs and/or refitting existing fabs.

 

[bonehead123]

Can't wait to see their 15th gen CPUs manufactured in 10nm Super Duper Hyper Ultra MegaFin process.

Ooopps...you forgot the 87 or so plus (++++) signs, hehehe

 

[Chrispy_]

Doubling their 10nm capacity?

It's so broken that there are still ZERO server or desktop chips on 10nm and next year we'll get 2018's 'Cove' architecture on desktop... BACKPORTED to 14++++nm

Tell me again how they doubled their 10nm capacity of a completely broken fab?

 

[thesmokingman]

Oh look, more PR fluff from Intel.
Where are the next gen processors? And no, that 14 nm abomination known as Rocket Lake doesn't qualify.

That's ALL they do now is put out bs PR crap.

 

[Solid State Soul ( SSS )]

Never write off intel, remember AMD were ahead of them a couple of times in the past, but they came back hard, sure this time its taking them much longer to get themselves together, giving AMD much more time to thrive, but when they do, AMD has gained so much that they can drop as much as they want into R&D to counter that, fueling competition even more, and in the end the consumers benefits the most !

 

[Fluffmeister]

Nice! Real men have fabs, even AMD said it!

 

[Minus Infinity]

Intel is said to be increasing production 400% from 1 wafer a week to 5 wafers a week.