Of course, 18A is the final part of Intel's bold "five nodes in four years" plan (also known as 5N4Y), which kicked off with Intel 7, then went to Intel 4 as used in the Meteor Lake mobile CPU, followed by Intel 3, Intel 20A and finally Intel 18A.

Panther Lake, Intel's next-generation laptop CPU family, will likely act as the debut for the Intel 18A process in a high-volume product. The company plans to ship Panther Lake by the end of the year, with volumes likely ramping up into 2026. Later in 2026, Intel plans to use the Intel 18A process for its Clearwater Forest server CPU.

Intel says its cutting-edge 18A process node is 'now ready' and that tape-out begins in 1H 2025, ready to compete with semiconductor leader TSMC.

Intel is emphasizing that its 18A chip production will occur in North America as President Trump prepares to tariff foreign-made semiconductors.