Six months after Lip-Bu Tan began his efforts to turn around Intel’s struggling company, the semiconductor giant announced major hardware upgrades.
On Thursday, Intel announced a new processor codenamed Panther Lake. This is the company’s next-generation Intel Core Ultra processor family and is the first chip built using Intel’s 18A semiconductor process.
The processors are expected to begin shipping later this year and are being produced at Intel’s Fab 52 facility in Chandler, Arizona, which is expected to begin operations in 2025.
“We are entering an exciting new era in computing, made possible by major advances in semiconductor technology that will shape the future for decades to come,” Tan said in the company’s press release. “Our next-generation computing platform, combined with cutting-edge process technology, manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities, will be a catalyst for innovation across our business as we build the new Intel.”
Separately, Intel also previewed its first 18A-based server processor, the Xeon 6+ (codenamed Clearwater Forest). Intel expects this to launch in the first half of 2026.
This is the company’s biggest manufacturing announcement since Tan became Intel’s CEO in March. In his first few weeks, Tan vowed to refocus the company on its core business and restore an engineering-first culture.
The announcement also highlights the 18A semiconductor’s ties to the United States. The company’s press release emphasizes that this is a state-of-the-art chip manufacturing process produced domestically.
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“The United States has always been home to Intel’s cutting-edge research and development, product design and manufacturing, and we are proud to build on this legacy as we expand our domestic operations and bring new innovations to market,” Tan said in the release.
The U.S. government acquired 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 reached out to Intel for more information.
This part has been updated to correct when Fab 52 will open.
