Intel unveils new processor powered by its 18A semiconductor tech 

Six months after Lip-Bu Tan began his quest to turn around struggling Intel, the semiconductor giant has announced a major hardware upgrade.

On Thursday, Intel said a new processor unveiledcodenamed Panther Lake. This marks the next generation of the company’s Intel Core Ultra processor family and is the first chip built using Intel’s 18A semiconductor process.

The processors are expected to hit the market later this year and will be produced at Intel’s Chandler, Arizona, Fab 52 factory, which came online in 2024.

“We are entering an exciting new era of computing, made possible by quantum leaps in semiconductor technology that will shape the future for decades to come,” Tan said in a company press release. “Our next-generation computing platforms, combined with our leading process technology, manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities, are catalysts for innovation across our company as we build a new Intel.”

In addition, Intel also previewed its Xeon 6+, codenamed Clearwater Forest, the company’s first 18A-based server processor. Intel predicts this will launch in the first half of 2026.

This is the company’s biggest production announcement since Tan took over as CEO of Intel in March. In his first few weeks, Tan made it clear that he would refocus the company on its core business and restore its engineering-first culture.

The announcement also highlights the 18A semiconductor’s ties with the US. The company’s press release highlighted that this is the most advanced chip manufacturing process produced domestically.

“The United States has always been home to Intel’s most advanced R&D, 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 US government took a 10% equity stake in Intel in August, just weeks later 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 US

TechCrunch reached out to Intel for more information.