Intel's New 18A-P Process Enters Production To Fight TSMC For AI by Zak Killian — Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 02:50 PM EDT Intel is taking the fight directly to TSMC with its latest foundry milestone, signaling that its aggressive turnaround strategy is bearing real fruit. …
… Clearwater Forest is Intel's latest server product, featuring up to 288 Darkmont CPU cores in a single socket. Built on its most cutting-edge 18A fabrication process, Xeon 6+ offers what Intel says is "market-leading rack density" and what it claims is the best performance per thread on the market. …
… The report does not specify which Apple products or chip families would be involved, nor whether production would occur on Intel's current 18A process or a future node, such as 14A. …
… That narrative has begun to change in recent months as Intel ramps production on its 18A process technology and begins shipping products such as its Core Ultra Series 3 "Panther Lake" processors, helping convince customers that its next-generation manufacturing roadmap is no longer theoretical. …
… That's the code name for Intel's Core Ultra 300 series processors for laptops. These are the first chips off of the 18A production line, and that's one of the most interesting things about them. …
… What about Intel? It will eventually counter Venice with its Xeon 7 Diamond Rapids CPUs built on its 18A node, though Tan already has his sights further down the roadmap. …