Intel’s present cellular processor, Lunar Lake, will likely be a “one off” design that comes with reminiscence contained in the package deal, Intel chief govt Pat Gelsinger stated throughout a convention name on Thursday afternoon.
Throughout its third-quarter earnings report, when Intel reported a lack of $16.6 billion that exceeded revenues, Gelsinger was requested about Intel’s Core Extremely Sequence 2 cellular chip, the primary to include DRAM immediately into the microprocessor package deal. Usually, laptop computer makers purchase reminiscence modules from third events and both insert them inside a DRAM slot or solder them down immediately.
That modified with Lunar Lake, which sounds prefer it was by no means supposed to be Intel’s mainstream cellular chip. “You know, Lunar Lake was initially designed to be a niche product that we wanted to achieve highest performance and great battery life capability,” Gelsinger advised analysts. “And then [the] AI PC occurred.”
With the rise of the AI PC, and the expansion of the NPU, Lunar Lake developed from being a distinct segment product to a “meaningful portion of our total mix,” Gelsinger stated.
It’s not particularly clear whether or not shoppers love the built-in reminiscence of Lunar Lake, both. Integrating the reminiscence contained in the package deal doesn’t enable shoppers to improve the reminiscence in the event that they ultimately want extra. Intel doesn’t have many choices, both, and has to stockpile and consider which processors want which reminiscence capability. It then has to combine and match reminiscence and logic, a further headache.
In keeping with Gelsinger, Intel doesn’t wish to be chargeable for managing reminiscence. “It’s not a good way to run the business,” he stated.
Principally, don’t count on a repeat of Lunar Lake’s built-in design.
“It really is, for us, a one off with Lunar Lake,” Gelsinger did through the name. “That will not be the case with Panther Lake, Nova Lake, and its successors as well. We’ll build it in a more traditional way, with memory off package, and the CPU, GPU, NPU, and I/O capabilities in the package. Volume memory will be off-package in the roadmap, going forward.”
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Gelsinger reiterated that Intel’s 18A course of, and the Panther Lake processor that will likely be constructed on it within the second half of 2025, will likely be a key turning level for Intel. One of many themes of the decision was how the 18A course of will full Intel’s plan to maneuver by way of 5 manufacturing nodes in 4 years. The opposite was how Intel needs to maneuver as a lot manufacturing as it might into its personal fabs. Lunar Lake is primarily constructed at TSMC, which suggests Intel has to pay the foundry a payment to fabricate it. This cuts into Intel’s earnings.
“It’s having a pretty meaningful impact on Lunar Lake’s gross margins,” Gelsinger stated.
With Panther Lake, greater than 70 % of the silicon space will likely be manufactured by Intel, Gelsinger stated, with out specifying which tiles will likely be manufactured at which fab. With Nova Lake, Intel has some designs through which it should construct tiles at an exterior foundry, however the “large majority” of Nova Lake will likely be inbuilt home, he stated.
Nova Lake is anticipated to be a 2026-27 product and the cellular successor to Panther Lake’s H-series elements, in keeping with studies. Intel, nonetheless, has by no means publicly characterised the place Nova Lake matches into its roadmap and this can be Gelsinger’s first public point out of the chip.
Correction: Panther Lake will likely be manufactured on Intel’s 18A course of, not the 14A course of.
