Intel is not having the best time when it comes to the processor market. AMD has been steadily increasing its share in the market, and things haven’t been turning out well for the blue side. Apart from offering extra cores at affordable prices, AMD also has a node advantage.
Intel, on the other hand, is not looking to switch to 7nm anytime soon. However, the company is set to launch its next-generation 7nm node using EUV technology by 2021 end. The upcoming Tiger Lake is slated to be based on 10nm+. While speaking of the 10nm node process, Intel claimed that the 10nm process is less profitable than 22nm.
Also Read: Intel Xe 10nm Graphics Card Confirmed for 2021; 10nm Icelake CPUs Coming in Q4-2019, 7nm in 2021
Speaking at Morgan Stanley’s Analyst Conference, Intel’s CFO, George Davis, also gave insights about the 10nm development. Being pretty open about it, George added that the 10nm process hasn’t turned out to be well and it “isn’t going to be the best node that Intel has ever had“. He further adds that “it isn’t going to be as strong a node as people would expect from 14nm or what they’ll see in 7nm“.
Furthermore, George also emphasized on how Intel has been disappointed by the performance of its 10nm node. He says, “But still, the effect of 10nm in 2021 is just, it’s sort of built today because you’ve got to get through that product cycle and the node. We’re excited about the products but you know, the node isn’t going to be quite the performer that historically we’ve had… Interestingly, and indicative of how we’re approaching process technology going forward, we also have 10+ coming out this year… it’s hard to find a conference [where] we’ve been able to talk about some of these things”.
This is pretty alarming from Intel’s point of view. AMD has been gearing up for its Zen 3 architecture based on an enhanced 7nm process. That will definitely make the red team move forward at a faster rate. The market share of the blue side has been on a steady decline. If 10nm indeed turns out to be a mediocre show, the trend won’t change anytime soon.