Intel’s 14A Process Will Be Its Most Expensive and Advanced Yet

Intel is currently advancing its 14A process node (equivalent to 1.4 nanometers)—the company’s first manufacturing technology designed entirely from the ground up for both Intel’s own products and its foundry customers. The cost of 14A is higher than that of the forthcoming 18A process, largely because it relies on more advanced lithography equipment.

At Citi’s 2025 Global TMT Conference, Intel CFO David Zinsner remarked:

“14A is more expensive than 18A. It is not significantly [more expensive] in terms of investment. [But] it is a higher wafer cost, for sure and partly that is because we, we are expecting to use High-NA EUV tools in 14A, which was not the case in 18A.”

Specifically, Intel’s 14A process will employ the Twinscan EXE:5200B high-NA EUV scanner from ASML, equipped with 0.55 NA optics.

Naturally, higher manufacturing costs translate into gains in performance and efficiency. Intel projects that 14A will deliver 15–20% improvements in performance per watt, while reducing power consumption by 25–35%, thereby offering both superior performance and longer battery life.

This new technology incorporates an enhanced RibbonFET 2 gate-all-around transistor architecture and PowerDirect backside power delivery. The latter enables power lines to connect directly to the transistor’s source and drain, avoiding the need for long interconnects (details on backside power technology can be found here).

Another key innovation in the 14A process is Turbo Cells. By employing high-drive, double-height cells within dense standard cell libraries, Turbo Cells optimize critical timing paths, enabling CPU and GPU frequencies to climb higher without significant sacrifices in area or power.

ASML’s Twinscan EXE high-NA EUV system can achieve 8nm resolution in a single exposure—an enormous leap over the 13.5nm resolution of current low-NA EUV systems. While low-NA systems can theoretically reach 8nm through double patterning, that approach increases process complexity and reduces yield.

Intel’s ambition is twofold: to elevate its CPU technology while offering cutting-edge nodes to foundry clients. This comes despite the staggering price tag of the EXE:5200B (or its successors), which costs $380 million per unit, compared to $235 million for ASML’s low-NA EUV scanners—a testament to Intel’s willingness to make bold, costly bets.

Zinsner also echoed the words of Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, stressing that without external foundry customers, justifying the 14A process will be exceedingly difficult. Tan has previously warned that if Intel fails to secure major customers for 14A, the company may choose to slow development—or even abandon the node entirely—given the extraordinary cost of sustaining such advanced research.

Related Posts:

• Google says “Android security has matured”, hackers are difficult and expensive to high severity exploits
• White House prohibits employees from using personal cell phones at work
• OneNote Gains Cell Merging & “Paste Text Only” for Windows, Mac & iPad Insiders
• Researchers get phone information from phone battery