Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger Discusses TSMC Partnership

Following his IFS Direct Connect 2024 keynote speech, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger spoke with members of the press about the company's ongoing relationship with TSMC. He confirmed that their manufacturing agreement has progressed from "5 nm to 3 nm." According to a report from China Times, Gelsinger also announced an expansion of orders to TSMC, with the production of Intel's Arrow and Lunar Lake CPU, GPU, and NPU chips using the N3B process. This marks the official introduction of the long-awaited Intel notebook platform.

Leaks have suggested that Intel's Arrow Lake processor family will feature CPU tiles based on their 20A process, while TSMC will handle the GPU tile aspect with their 3 nm N3 process node. The upcoming generation is set to launch later this year, with the upgraded 3 nm process expected to bring performance and efficiency improvements.

The current Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" mobile processors have faced challenges in terms of efficiency, especially when compared to competitors. Lunar Lake is scheduled for a 2025 release, and while some details remain unknown, Gelsinger has confirmed TSMC's involvement in the production process. However, Intel's in-house manufacturing choices for LNL chips have not been officially disclosed.

It is speculated that Lunar Lake will feature a new P-Core (Lion Cove) and E-Core (Skymont) core architecture, likely fabricated on the 20A node for the CPU tile. The GPU tile is expected to see a significant upgrade with the introduction of the "Battlemage" graphics architecture, moving away from Alchemist used in Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake CPUs.

Rumors in late January suggested a potential partnership between Intel and TSMC for a 2 nanometer process in the "Nova Lake" processor generation, possibly set for 2026.