Intel 18A based Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest processors successfully power on

Even though Intel used TSMC's N3B node for Lunar Lake's CPU time, its successor, Panther Lake, will leverage Intel Foundry's 18A node. Transistor density-wise, one can compare it to TSMC's N3 class node, and it will also power the next generation of Xeon SKUs codenamed Clearwater Forest. Both chips have now successfully powered on and booted into an operating system, an important milestone in any chip's lifestyle.

Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest will also be the first on-shelf product to offer backside power delivery. It allows designers to route power from behind the wafer, allowing for more logic density in the front, while also increasing power efficiency. For more information about how Intel pulls it off, refer to this excellent video from High Yield on YouTube. Meanwhile, TSMC will debut backside power delivery in 2026 and Samsung Foundry in 2027.

Intel says Clearwater Forest and Panther Lake CPUs will hit shelves next year and that DDR memory is working on-spec with both architectures. Furthermore, it has given foundry customers like Arm access to Intel 18A PDK (Process Design Kit) 1, allowing them to design their chips on Intel's cutting-edge node. 18A also incorporates the company's RibbonFET tech, which is similar to Samsung's GAAFET and TSMC's Nanosheets.