Overview

• Tan has asked Intel’s board to evaluate halting external 18A marketing at its July meeting, with a final decision deferred to autumn.
• Abandoning external 18A sales could trigger write-offs of hundreds of millions to billions of dollars due to development costs.
• Intel will continue using 18A internally for Panther Lake processors and deliver on existing Amazon and Microsoft orders.
• The proposed reallocation aims to speed risk production of 14A and leverage its advantages to win marquee clients such as Apple and Nvidia.
• The review underscores mounting pressure on Intel’s foundry business after an $18.8 billion net loss in 2024 and 18A’s delays that eroded its edge over TSMC.