Intel unveils new processor powered by its 18A semiconductor technology

Six months after Lip-Bu Tan began his quest to turn around struggling Intel, the semiconductor giant has announced a major hardware upgrade.

On Thursday, Intel unveiled a new processor, named Panther Lake. It is the next generation of the company’s Intel Core Ultra processor family and the first chip built using Intel’s 18A semiconductor process.

The processors are expected to begin shipping later this year and are produced at Intel’s Fab 52 factory in Chandler, Arizona, which was commissioned in 2024.

“We are entering an exciting new era in computing, enabled by great advances in semiconductor technology that will shape the future for decades to come,” Tan said in a company press release. “Our next-generation computing platforms, combined with our industry-leading advanced process, manufacturing and packaging technologies, are catalysts for innovation across our business as we build a new Intel.

Separately, Intel also previewed its Xeon 6+, named Clearwater Forest, which is the company’s first 18A-based server processor. Intel expects this launch to take place in the first half of 2026.

It’s the company’s biggest manufacturing announcement since Tan took over as CEO of Intel in March. In his first few weeks, Tan made it clear that he would refocus the company on its core businesses and reestablish its engineering-focused culture.

The announcement also highlights the 18A semiconductor’s ties to the United States. The company’s press release highlighted that this is the most advanced chip manufacturing process produced domestically.

“The United States has always been home to Intel’s most advanced R&D, product design and manufacturing – and we are proud to build on that heritage by expanding our domestic operations and bringing new innovations to the market,” Tan said in the release.

The U.S. government took a 10% stake in Intel in August, just weeks after Tan and President Donald Trump met at the White House to discuss how Intel and the government could work together to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States.

TechCrunch has contacted Intel for more information.