Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan may be planning big change to company's contract manufacturing business, abandoning technology Intel has spent millions working on
May abandon external sales of 18A and its variant 18A-P
According to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Tan has expressed concerns that the 18A process, a cornerstone of Gelsinger's plan, is losing appeal to new clients. Discontinuing external sales of 18A and its variant 18A-P, which cost billions to develop, could result in a write-off of hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars, one source said. Intel declined to comment on "hypothetical scenarios or market speculation," stating that its primary customer for 18A is Intel itself, with plans to ramp up production of its "Panther Lake" laptop chips in late 2025, which it called the most advanced processors ever designed and manufactured in the U.S.
What is behind Intel's shift to 14A process
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy
IC Markets
Tìm hiểu thêm
Undo
Instead of focusing on 18A, Tan is directing resources toward Intel's next-generation 14A process, which he believes could give Intel an edge over rival TSMC, the sources said. The shift aims to attract major clients like Apple and Nvidia, who currently rely on TSMC. Tan has tasked Intel's leadership with presenting options to the board as early as this month, though a final decision on 18A may not come until a later meeting this autumn, one source added. Intel reiterated its commitment to strengthening its roadmap and rebuilding customer trust. "Lip-Bu and the executive team are committed to improving our financial position for the future," the company said in a statement. Despite the potential pivot, Intel will honor existing 18A commitments, including producing chips for Amazon and Microsoft, whose deadlines make switching to 14A impractical, the sources said. Amazon and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The 18A process, which includes advanced energy delivery and transistor technology, was intended to rival TSMC's capabilities. However, analysts told Reuters that 18A is comparable to TSMC's N3 process, which entered high-volume production in 2022, while TSMC's N2 technology is on track, highlighting Intel's challenges as it lags in the foundry race.
Tan's broader strategy includes streamlining Intel's operations and bolstering engineering talent. Shifting focus to 14A could be one of his boldest moves yet as he seeks to restore Intel's manufacturing leadership, which has waned in the mobile computing and AI eras. Whether Intel can deliver 14A in time to secure major contracts remains uncertain, one source noted, adding that sticking with 18A remains an option.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Google's AI Overviews hit by EU antitrust complaint from independent publishers
Alphabet's Google has been hit by an EU antitrust complaint over its AI Overviews from a group of independent publishers, which has also asked for an interim measure to prevent allegedly irreparable harm to them, according to a document seen by Reuters. Google's AI Overviews are AI-generated summaries that appear above traditional hyperlinks to relevant webpages and are shown to users in more than 100 countries. It began adding advertisements to AI Overviews last May. The company is making its biggest bet by integrating AI into search but the move has sparked concerns from some content providers such as publishers. The Independent Publishers Alliance document, dated June 30, sets out a complaint to the European Commission and alleges that Google abuses its market power in online search. "Google's core search engine service is misusing web content for Google's AI Overviews in Google Search, which have caused, and continue to cause, significant harm to publishers, including news publishers in the form of traffic, readership and revenue loss," the document said. It said Google positions its AI Overviews at the top of its general search engine results page to display its own summaries which are generated using publisher material and it alleges that Google's positioning disadvantages publishers' original content. "Publishers using Google Search do not have the option to opt out from their material being ingested for Google's AI large language model training and/or from being crawled for summaries, without losing their ability to appear in Google's general search results page," the complaint said. The Commission declined to comment. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority confirmed receipt of the complaint. Google said it sends billions of clicks to websites each day. "New AI experiences in Search enable people to ask even more questions, which creates new opportunities for content and businesses to be discovered," a Google spokesperson said. The Independent Publishers Alliance's website says it is a nonprofit community advocating for independent publishers, which it does not name. The Movement for an Open Web, whose members include digital advertisers and publishers, and British non-profit Foxglove Legal Community Interest Company, which says it advocates for fairness in the tech world, are also signatories to the complaint. They said an interim measure was necessary to prevent serious irreparable harm to competition and to ensure access to news. Google said numerous claims about traffic from search are often based on highly incomplete and skewed data. "The reality is that sites can gain and lose traffic for a variety of reasons, including seasonal demand, interests of users, and regular algorithmic updates to Search," the Google spokesperson said. Foxglove co-executive director Rosa Curling said journalists and publishers face a dire situation. "Independent news faces an existential threat: Google's AI Overviews," she told Reuters. "That's why with this complaint, Foxglove and our partners are urging the European Commission, along with other regulators around the world, to take a stand and allow independent journalism to opt out," Curling said. The three groups have filed a similar complaint and a request for an interim measure to the UK competition authority. The complaints echoed a U.S. lawsuit by a U.S. edtech company which said Google's AI Overviews is eroding demand for original content and undermining publishers' ability to compete that have resulted in a drop in visitors and subscribers.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Socialist Zohran Mamdani under fire over mother's $2 mn house, labelled ‘nepo baby'
Mamdani has come under intense scrutiny from Republicans and conservative thinkers, who say Mamdani might be too privileged to champion the cause of socialism read more Zohran Mamdani has has shaken the New York City establishment to its core. Reuters Critics of Democratic socialist New York City mayoral front-runner are pointing to his elite education background and family wealth worth millions as the race heats up. Mamdani has come under intense scrutiny from Republicans and conservative thinkers, who say Mamdani might be too privileged to champion the cause of socialism. Zohran Mamdani's family's wealth Republican extremist Laura Loomer as well as MAGA activist Meghan McCain have labelled Mamdani a 'nepo baby', arguing that his parents' net worth ranges between $2 million and $10 million. Meanwhile, the New York Post has thrown light on Mamdani's family background. Both of his parents have Indian roots, with his mother, Mira Nair, being an award-winning Indian-American filmmaker; and his father being a renowned author and a professor at Columbia University. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Controversial policies Mamdani is pushing bold ideas to tackle economic inequality, like a steep tax on the ultra-wealthy, aiming to shake up the city's status quo. If elected, he'd make history as New York City's first Muslim mayor, with roots tracing back to India. But not everyone's sold on his message. Critics point to his privileged background as a disconnect from the working-class image he projects. His mother—known for hits like Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake—owned a swanky Manhattan loft in West Chelsea from 2008 to 2019. Bought for $1.375 million and sold for $1.45 million, the place, with its 12-foot ceilings, designer kitchen, and spa-like bathroom, is now worth about $1.9 million, per Redfin. Then there's the 4-acre plot in Uganda, valued at $150,000-$250,000, which Mamdani picked up in 2012, according to his 2024 ethics disclosure. For some, this wealth clashes with his socialist calls for redistributing riches. They argue his elite education and high-profile family—steeped in cultural clout—make it hard for him to relate to the everyday struggles he is trying to champion. His big ideas, like fare-free buses and city-run grocery stores, also catch flak from moderates and conservatives who call them pie-in-the-sky plans, more about wooing progressive voters than solving real problems.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Air India pays compensation to two-thirds of Ahmedabad crash victims
Air India on Friday said it has paid the compensation to families of nearly two-thirds of the victims who died in the June 12 plane crash in Ahmedabad. Soon after the crash, Air India parent Tata Sons announced that it will provide ₹ 1 crore each to the families of each person who died in the crash.(File/REUTERS ) An Air India Dreamliner from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed moments after takeoff on June 12, killing 260 people onboard and on the ground. "Our teams have been helping families receive interim compensation. Every affected family is being directly assisted by an Air India representative, with nearly two-thirds having already received payment or are in the final stages," Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson told the airline employees in an internal post. Tata Sons is in the process of establishing the apparatus to provide longer-term assistance to the families and survivors, the Tata Group-owned airline said. In an internal post to airline employees, Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson also said the carrier will continue to "invest in upgrading aircraft, products, service, systems, capabilities and, most of all, people". The crash, one of the worst air disasters in India in decades, involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating as Air India flight AI171. Of the 242 people onboard, 241 were killed, while the total death toll stood at 260, including casualties on the ground. Soon after the crash, Air India parent Tata Sons announced that it will provide ₹1 crore each to the families of each person who died in the crash. And on June 14, Air India announced that it will provide an interim compensation of ₹25 lakh, or approximately GBP 21,500, to the families of each of the deceased and survivors of the Ahmedabad plane crash to help address immediate financial needs. Air India's on-ground presence in Ahmedabad to see this process to completion, he said, will continue for as long as required." The Air India Chief also said "the process of reuniting next of kin with their loved ones, and repatriating them to their final destinations, is now complete". "As we transition from the immediate aftermath to mapping the journey ahead, many efforts are underway. Among them, Tata Sons is in the process of establishing the apparatus to provide longer-term assistance to the families and survivors, and will share more when the time is right," Wilson noted. Air India continues to observe its "Safety Pause", the deliberate temporary scale-back of its international and domestic networks, he said, acknowledging that, besides the customer impact, this temporary curtailment of flights put extra pressure on Air India frontliners in call centres and at airports, and has "disrupted crew rosters". "The 'pause' was an important and necessary move to accommodate voluntary additional aircraft checks, navigate the volatile international airspace environment and to stabilise our flight schedule to restore faith and trust," Wilson said. Besides providing extra resilience, the extra aircraft ground time is allowing the airline to accelerate its aircraft reliability enhancement programs, he said. Air India on June 18 had announced a 15 per cent reduction in international flights operated with widebody planes till mid-July as amid operational disruptions due to enhanced safety inspections and geopolitical situation, among others. "Irrespective of any cause, the accident of AI171 and the loss of so many lives will forever stand as one of our darkest days. It must also signal the start of a new era," Air India chief said in the internal post, adding, "we will continue to invest in upgrading aircraft, products, service, systems, capabilities and, most of all, people".
