![]() It gets especially confusing when there are features of a process built at a smaller scale than the number on the technology: for example, Intel’s 10nm actually has features that are 8nm in size. As many of our readers are aware, the actual number attached to the process in the era of FinFET technology has effectively become nothing more than a proper noun for the process node technology – it isn’t related to any feature within the products built on that process. +, ++, +++, ++++: What is a NameĪ side note about manufacturing process naming. After Ice Lake was set to be Tiger Lake, built on a ‘10+’ manufacturing node. The graphics on Ice Lake are still a lot better than on 14nm, and support for Thunderbolt 3 as well as 512-bit vector instructions means that Ice Lake still has a few plus points.Īs it stands, because Intel doesn’t want to consider Cannon Lake as a true part of its heritage, Ice Lake was deemed a flat ‘10nm’ product, with no plusses and no extra bits. It has found its way into over 50 laptop designs, but as mentioned on the previous page, despite its 15-20% increase in raw performance clock-for-clock, that 10-20% decrease in frequency balances it out for a minimal CPU improvement over 14nm. Ice Lake was Intel’s proper launch vehicle for 10nm, offering four cores and a lot of Gen11 graphics within 15 watts. To date, Intel has had two generations of 10nm products on the CPU side, one of which the company steers away from even trying to mention it in public, even though we’ve reviewed it in excruciating detail.Ĭannon Lake, the first 10nm product, found its way into Intel’s Crimson Canyon NUC mini-PCs and was a hot mess: two cores only, disabled integrated graphics, and although it shipped for revenue in 2017, Intel was right to consign it to history very quickly. ![]() When it comes to 10nm, the situation is not as rosy, even compared to the delays on 14nm. ![]() The only product confirmed to be on 14++++ as far as we can tell is the Cooper Lake Xeon Scalable family. The 14nm process node has been Intel’s most profitable manufacturing node to date, and continuous intranode enhancements over the years (14+, 14++, 14+++, 14++++*) have given the company an effective enhancement equivalent to a pure node update within a manufacturing generation. With the next generation of 14nm, there were some delays with the initial generation of Broadwell products, but ultimately the process was explained in detail by the company at its own event and we published our article on 14nm in August 2014. When Intel first announced FinFETs on its 22nm process node, in May 2011, there was a lot of information straight out of the gate, and the node was very successful. ![]() Intel’s disclosures on its manufacturing technology vary in complexity depending on how successful the product is perceived internally. Intel’s Ruth Brain, Senior Transistor Architect, Covering Intel’s Engineering Feats This used to be the position that Intel held until delays crept into the 10nm process. ![]() With news like this, it has become a struggle to remain confident about Intel’s ability to deliver an industry-leading manufacturing node technology that is competitive in the market. The next step function change in Intel’s manufacturing, the move to 7nm using Extreme Ultra Violet (EUV) technology, has recently been announced that it also has an additional six month delay. It still remains in low volume today, with Tiger Lake expected to be the first true example of what Intel’s vision 10nm was meant to be. In short, Intel’s 10nm process technology has failed to match expectations in performance and yield, coming in a couple of years later than expected and with an inability to compete with its own previous generation products. For those within the semiconductor industry, as well as individuals with investments in the companies we cover, it has been hard to miss the recent news surrounding Intel’s manufacturing process woes. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |