Intel’s Bold Bid to Regain Chipmaking Supremacy

At its Foundry Direct Connect 2025 event in San Jose last week, Intel didn’t just showcase new technologies—it made a statement: The race for semiconductor dominance is no longer just about nodes, it’s about ecosystems, trust, and speed.

The star of the show? Intel’s upcoming 14A process, built for what comes after 2nm. Still in early development, 14A may not hit full production for years, but Intel is already seeding it to customers—alongside a quiet confidence that it might leapfrog TSMC’s trajectory.

The process introduces PowerVia (a backside power delivery method), and leans on High-NA EUV lithography, an advanced patterning technique that shrinks transistor features even further. The goal is clear: reclaim the process lead Intel once owned.

But what stood out even more than raw specs was how Intel is trying to rebrand its foundry business around customer transparency and collaboration. “This isn’t IDM 2.0,” one analyst quipped at the event. “It’s Foundry 2.0—with attitude.”

Intel Foundry Services (IFS), a division that many once viewed as an afterthought, now claims customers like Microsoft, Nvidia, and MediaTek. At the event, Intel confirmed that test chips from major customers using its 18A process are already in progress, and that advanced packaging—especially Foveros Direct and the new EMIB-T interconnect—is a key reason why.

In fact, advanced packaging may be where Intel gains real ground. As Moore’s Law slows, and chiplets become the norm, the ability to interconnect multiple dies with minimal latency and maximum bandwidth becomes paramount. Intel’s message was clear: “We don’t just print chips—we assemble solutions.”

Behind the polished keynotes, there was also an undercurrent of urgency. Intel is still recovering from years of delays and missed milestones. Its fab expansion projects in Arizona and Oregon are massive—but also expensive. And competition from TSMC and Samsung is fiercer than ever, especially as geopolitical tensions push companies to diversify manufacturing away from Taiwan.

Still, customers at the event appeared cautiously optimistic. For chip designers worried about capacity, lead times, and future scaling, Intel is offering not just a foundry, but a partner.

If successful, Intel’s strategy wouldn’t just mark a comeback—it could redefine its role in the global chipmaking landscape