Intel’s Panther Lake have successfully powered on and booted operating systems, just two quarters after tape-out, the company announced.
In processor development, ‘power on’ is a milestone that signals the processor is now a functional unit capable of booting into an operating system, though this is far from being a complete unit. Panther Lake is expected to be the follow up for Arrow Lake, which will be introduced later this year. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger assures that Panther Lake is on track, meaning we should be able to see them in late 2025.
Panther Lake & Clearwater Forest Powers On
The chipmaker also announced significant progress in its 18A process node, which the company says is on track for production in 2025 (Panther Lake is one of them). 18A features a new fabrication process that integrates RibbonFET gate-all-around transistors and PowerVia backside power delivery; the first version of Process Design Kit (PDK) is available to foundry customers since July.
According to Intel, RibbonFET allows for tighter control over electrical current, enabling further miniaturization and reduced power leakage; while PowerVia optimizes signal routing by separating power delivery, thus reducing electrical resistance and improves efficiency. The use of GAAFET-based structure should mean significant increase in power efficiency, as most process nodes today are still using the FinFET design that has been the mainstream since 2010s.
The same 18A process node is also used to produce Panther Lake’s server counterpart, Clearwater Forest, which is set to feature RibbonFET, PowerVia, and Foveros Direct 3D packaging technology. It’ll also be the leading product for the chipmaker’s 3-T base-die technology. All in all, Intel promises “significant improvements in performance per watt, transistor density and cell utilization.”
Pokdepinion: One piece of good news Intel desperately needed in recent weeks.
