Intel Foundry has made version 0.9 of the process design kit (PDK) for its next-generation 14A manufacturing process available to customers. Intel says the technology is reaching the performance and yield maturity expected at this stage, with its progress supported by silicon validation.
A PDK provides chip designers with models, design rules and other information needed to create products for a specific manufacturing process. Intel says the 14A kit is based on measurements from actual silicon, allowing customers to assess the process with more confidence than theoretical models alone. It is intended to support designs that could enter risk production around the time the process is certified.
The release does not mean Intel 14A is ready for mass production. Intel expects PDK 1.0 in the first quarter of 2027, a milestone it says will validate readiness for high-volume manufacturing. The company plans to begin risk production for its own products in the second half of 2027 and start mass production in 2028.
Intel 14A builds on the architectural foundations of Intel 18A and adds second-generation RibbonFET gate-all-around transistors, PowerDirect backside power delivery and Turbo Cells, standard cells designed to improve performance on timing-critical paths. Intel has not provided updated figures for the process’s transistor performance, power consumption or density.
The company says it is using experience gained from 12 months of Intel 18A production to mature 14A, including greater investment in defect detection, modelling and simulation. It has also changed how it works with equipment and materials suppliers, bringing them into development earlier to address defects and improve equipment capabilities.
Intel is expanding the design ecosystem for 14A as well. Cadence is collaborating with Intel on design-technology co-optimization focused on AI-driven design tools and intellectual property. Keysight, Siemens and Synopsys have announced design-tool certifications for the process, while Intel is working with other software and IP providers to validate design flows and reusable components.
Intel says customer feedback on 14A’s development has been encouraging, but it has not named customers committed to using the process or disclosed product tape-outs or manufacturing agreements. The company’s next major stated milestone is PDK 1.0, expected in the first quarter of 2027.
Sources: Tom's Hardware.