Process & Packaging Innovations

Intel accelerates its annual cadence of innovation with new advancements in semiconductor process and packaging.

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Intel Corporation unveiled a cadence of foundational technology innovations that will power its product roadmap through 2025 and beyond.

During the global “Intel Accelerated” webcast, CEO Pat Gelsinger and senior leaders from Intel’s Technology Development organization presented a range of breakthrough technologies that will accelerate the path back to process performance leadership and bolster the company’s packaging capabilities.

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July 26 Event

Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel Corporation, speaks during a virtual presentation as part of the "Intel Accelerated" event on July 26, 2021. At the event, Intel presented the company's future process and packaging technology roadmaps. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel Corporation, speaks during a virtual presentation as part of the "Intel Accelerated" event on July 26, 2021. At the event, Intel presented the company's future process and packaging technology roadmaps. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel Corporation, speaks during a virtual presentation as part of the "Intel Accelerated" event on July 26, 2021. At the event, Intel presented the company's future process and packaging technology roadmaps. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Sanjay Natarajan, senior vice president in Technology Development at Intel Corporation, speaks during a virtual presentation as part of the "Intel Accelerated" event on July 26, 2021. At the event, Intel presented the company's future process and packaging technology roadmaps. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Babak Sabi, corporate vice president at Intel Corporation, speaks during a virtual presentation as part of the "Intel Accelerated" event on July 26, 2021. At the event, Intel presented the company's future process and packaging technology roadmaps. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Ann Kelleher, senior vice president and general manager of Technology Development at Intel Corporation, speaks during a virtual presentation as part of the "Intel Accelerated" event on July 26, 2021. At the event, Intel presented the company's future process and packaging technology roadmaps. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Ann Kelleher, senior vice president and general manager of Technology Development at Intel Corporation, speaks during a virtual presentation as part of the "Intel Accelerated" event on July 26, 2021. At the event, Intel presented the company's future process and packaging technology roadmaps. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Ann Kelleher, senior vice president and general manager of Technology Development at Intel Corporation, speaks during a virtual presentation as part of the "Intel Accelerated" event on July 26, 2021. At the event, Intel presented the company's future process and packaging technology roadmaps. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Innovation Roadmap

Intel revealed one of the most detailed process and packaging technology roadmaps the company has provided, showcasing foundational innovations that will power products through 2025 and beyond. Intel updated the roadmap at Investor Meeting 2022 beyond Intel 20A. 

Breakthrough Process Technologies

In addition to announcing RibbonFET, its first new transistor architecture in more than a decade, and PowerVia, an industry-first new backside power delivery method, Intel highlighted its planned swift adoption of next-generation extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), referred to as High Numerical Aperture EUV. Intel is positioned to receive the industry’s first High NA EUV production tool.

RibbonFET is Intel’s implementation of a gate-all-around transistor. The technology delivers faster transistor switching speeds while achieving the same drive current as multiple fins in a smaller footprint.

PowerVia is Intel’s unique industry-first implementation of backside power delivery, optimizing signal transmission by eliminating the need for power routing on the front side of the wafer.

A test package of "Meteor Lake" with Foveros wafer level assembly is displayed as part of the "Intel Accelerated" event on July 26, 2021. At the event, Intel presented the company's future process and packaging technology roadmaps. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

A test wafer of "Meteor Lake" compute tiles for client on Intel 4 is displayed as part of the "Intel Accelerated" event on July 26, 2021. At the event, Intel presented the company's future process and packaging technology roadmaps. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Intel’s new RibbonFET technology, the company's implementation of a gate-all-around transistor, is displayed as part of the "Intel Accelerated" event on July 26, 2021. At the event, Intel presented the company's future process and packaging technology roadmaps. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

New PowerVia technology, Intel’s unique industry-first implementation of backside power delivery network, is displayed as part of the "Intel Accelerated" event on July 26, 2021. At the event, Intel presented the company's future process and packaging technology roadmaps. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

The image at left shows a design with power and signal wires intermingled on the top of the wafer. The image at right shows the new PowerVia technology, Intel’s unique industry-first implementation of a backside power delivery network. PowerVia was introduced at the "Intel Accelerated" event on July 26, 2021. At the event, Intel presented the company's future process and packaging technology roadmaps. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Process Node Naming

Intel introduced a new naming structure for its process nodes, creating a clear and consistent framework to give customers a more accurate view of process nodes across the industry. Intel technologists described the following roadmap:

Intel 7 will be featured in products such as Alder Lake for client in 2021 and Sapphire Rapids for the data center, which is expected to be in production in the first quarter of 2022. 

Intel 4 will be ready for production in the second half of 2022 for products shipping in 2023, including Meteor Lake for client and Granite Rapids for the data center.

Intel 3 will be ready to begin manufacturing products in the second half of 2023.

Intel 20A ushers in the angstrom era with RibbonFET and PowerVia. It is expected to ramp in 2024.

2025 and Beyond: Beyond Intel 20A, Intel 18A is already in development for early 2025 with refinements to RibbonFET that will deliver another major jump in transistor performance.

3D Packaging Innovations

With Intel’s new IDM 2.0 strategy, packaging is important to realizing the benefits of Moore’s Law. Intel provided the following insights into the company’s industry-leading advanced packaging roadmap:

EMIB (embedded multi-die interconnect bridge) continues to lead the industry as the first 2.5D embedded bridge solution. Sapphire Rapids will be the first Intel® Xeon® data center product to ship in volume with EMIB. Beyond Sapphire Rapids, the next generation of EMIB will move from a 55 micron bump pitch to 45 microns.

Foveros leverages wafer-level packaging capabilities to provide a first-of-its-kind 3D stacking solution. Meteor Lake will be the second-generation implementation of Foveros in a client product and features a bump pitch of 36 microns, tiles spanning multiple technology nodes and a thermal design power range from 5 to 125W.

Foveros Omni ushers in the next generation of Foveros technology by providing unbounded flexibility with 3D stacking technology for die-to-die interconnect and modular designs. Foveros Omni allows die disaggregation, mixing multiple top die tiles with multiple base tiles across mixed fab nodes. It is expected to be ready for volume manufacturing in 2023.

Foveros Direct moves to direct copper-to-copper bonding for low-resistance interconnects. Foveros Direct enables sub-10-micron bump pitches, providing an order of magnitude increase in the interconnect density for 3D stacking, opening new concepts for functional die partitioning. Foveros Direct is complementary to Foveros Omni and is also expected to be ready in 2023.

More Context

Notices & Disclaimers

All product and service plans, roadmaps, and performance figures are subject to change without notice. Process performance parity and leadership expectations are based on performance-per-watt projections. Future node performance and other metrics, including power and density, are projections and are inherently uncertain.

This webpage and the materials it links to contain forward-looking statements relating to Intel’s future plans and expectations, including with respect to Intel’s process and packaging technology roadmaps and schedules; innovation cadence; future technology and products and the expected benefits and availability of such technology and products, including PowerVia, RibbonFET, Foveros Omni, and Foveros Direct technologies, future process nodes, and other technologies and products; technology parity and leadership; future use, benefits, and availability of EUV and other manufacturing tools; expectations regarding suppliers, partners, and customers; Intel’s strategy; manufacturing plans; manufacturing expansion and investment plans; and plans and goals related to Intel’s foundry business. Such statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “goals,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “strategy,” “progress,” “accelerate,” “path,” “on-track,” “roadmap,” “pipeline,” “cadence,” “momentum,” “positioned,” “committed,” and “deliver” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Statements that refer to or are based on estimates, forecasts, projections, and uncertain events or assumptions also identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations and involve many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the company’s expectations include, among others, Intel’s failure to realize the anticipated benefits of its strategy and plans; changes in plans due to business, economic, or other factors; actions taken by competitors, including changes in competitor technology roadmaps; changes impacting our projections regarding our technology or competing technology; delays in development or implementation of our future manufacturing technologies or failures to realize the anticipated benefits of such technologies, including expected improvements in performance and other factors; delays or changes in the design or introduction of future products; changes in customer needs or plans; changes in technology trends; our ability to rapidly respond to technological developments; delays, changes in plans, or other disruptions involving manufacturing tool and other suppliers; and other factors set forth in Intel’s reports filed or furnished with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including Intel’s most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, available at Intel’s investor relations website at www.intc.com and the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Intel does not undertake, and expressly disclaims any duty, to update any statement made in this webpage and the linked materials, whether as a result of new information, new developments or otherwise, except to the extent that disclosure may be required by law.

About Intel

Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) is an industry leader, creating world-changing technology that enables global progress and enriches lives. Inspired by Moore’s Law, we continuously work to advance the design and manufacturing of semiconductors to help address our customers’ greatest challenges. By embedding intelligence in the cloud, network, edge and every kind of computing device, we unleash the potential of data to transform business and society for the better. To learn more about Intel’s innovations, go to newsroom.intel.com and intel.com.

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